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Frequency of predation upon Heteroctenus junceus (N=371) by the different predator groups, from the literature and this work. Notice the high incidence of predation by conspecifics and toads (Peltophryne spp.).
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The ecology of Cuban scorpions is very insufficiently studied and the scarce existing information on their natural enemies is dispersed in the literature. However, scorpions in general are well known to play an important role both as predators and prey in natural ecosystems. Herein we present new instances of predation on different species of scorp...
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... common scorpion species in Cuba (e.g., Teruel, 1997;Teruel & Armas, 2012) and the one with the largest sample size in our study (N=371, 90.3% of all predation events), intraspecific predation represented 81.7% of all cases and toads 15.4%; only a small proportion (3%) was represented by other animals such as insects, spiders, lizards, and birds (Fig. ...
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Predators drive top-down effects that shape prey communities, but the role of predators in dispersing prey microbiomes is rarely examined. We tested whether coral-eating (corallivorous) fish disperse the single-celled dinoflagellate symbionts (family Symbiodiniaceae) of their prey. Our findings demonstrate that: (1) coral-eating fish egest feces co...
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... are classified as errant predators (McReynolds 2008, Ramírez-Arce 2015. Furthermore, Centruroides scorpions have been observed preying on a wide range of invertebrates, including other scorpions and spiders (McReynolds 2020, Rodríguez-Cabrera et al. 2020, Cubas-Rodríguez et al. 2024. Furthermore, the relatively small size of B. cyaneifemur juveniles, in conjunction with their foraging behavior, renders these animals susceptible to predation, particularly by venomous predators capable of paralyzing prey with target toxins, such as C. elegans. ...
... are considered errant predators (McReynolds 2008, Ramírez-Arce 2015. In addition, Centruroides species prey on a wide range of invertebrates, including dangerous prey, such as scorpions and spiders (McReynolds 2020, Rodríguez-Cabrera et al. 2020, Cubas-Rodríguez et al. 2024. Furthermore, the small size of B. klaasi juveniles combined with their foraging activity makes these animals vulnerable to predators, especially venomous ones capable of paralyzing prey with target toxins, such as C. elegans. ...
... Scorpions are nocturnal carnivores that occur on most major landmasses in temperate, tropical, subtropical, and arid regions (Lourenço 2001;Lira et al. 2019). They feed on other arthropods and are prey to larger arthropods and vertebrates, making them important parts of terrestrial food webs (El Hidan et al. 2017;Rodríguez-Cabrera et al. 2020;Gibb et al. 2021). All extant scorpions are characterized by low levels of surface activity to avoid predators, whereas burrowing scorpions spend the majority to the entirety of their life in the subsurface illustrating the importance of burrows to scorpion ecology and evolution (Williams 1966;Hadley and Williams 1968;Tourtlotte 1974;Koch 1978;Polis 1980;Bradley 1982;Shachak and Brand 1983;Warburg and Polis 1990). ...
Scorpions are intermediate predators in numerous terrestrial environments, and many are temporarily to permanently fossorial. As a result, they play key roles in terrestrial food webs, in soil development, and as ecosystem engineers. However, scorpions have a poorly described ichnofossil record likely due to an inadequate understanding of their trace morphology. Critical to correcting this is assessing the variability of burrows constructed by phylogenetically, geographically, and environmentally distinct scorpions. Five extant scorpions, Heterometrus spinifer, Pandinus imperator, Pandipalpus viatoris, Hadrurus arizonensis, and Paravaejovis spinigerus were studied through neoichnological experiments under varying substrate conditions. Burrow casts produced were described and compared across species and different substrate conditions. Tropical scorpions excavated sediment and carried it away from the burrow to produce open, straight-to-sinuous, subvertical tunnels to branching tunnel systems with single to multiple entrances and often chambers. Arid scorpions excavated with rapid leg movements to throw sediment behind the body to produce single to linked networks of U-shaped burrows as well as subvertical tunnels to tunnel networks with single to multiple entrances and rarely chambers. Changes in sediment composition and moisture tended to reduce burrow production but did not significantly alter burrow morphology. All scorpion burrows, regardless of species, bore a moderate-to-high similarity despite differences in excavation styles and architecture suggesting that scorpions produce burrows of consistent form regardless of phylogenetic or environmental distance. The result of these studies provides key ichnotaxobases of scorpion burrows which can be used to identify them in the fossil record and improve interpretations of ancient terrestrial ecosystems.
... Therefore, these animals may act at different levels in the trophic chain, exerting a direct influence on the flow of energy (McCormick and Polis 1990). However, scorpions may be subject to predation by several arthropods, such as spiders, ants, assassin bugs, and other scorpions (e.g., Polis et al. 1981;Faúndez and Albornoz 2017;Rodríguez-Cabrera et al. 2020). This interplay between prey and predator involving scorpions and other arthropod predators may result in a combination of competition and predation for a similar resource (e.g., prey source) (Polis et al. 1989;Duyck et al. 2004;Castro-Guedes et al. 2020). ...
Scorpions and assassin bugs are arthropod predators that may impact in trophic chain, coexisting in similar microhabitats and exhibiting antagonistic interactions. This study reports the first case of predation of the scorpion Physoctonus debilis by the assassin bug Microtomus tibialis in a Brazilian Seasonal Dry Tropical Forest biome. During a nocturnal collection, an adult individual of M. tibialis was observed, with the head and body facing downwards, while holding a female of P. debilis, with the aid of the mouthparts under the vegetation. Reports like these are important to
understand the evolutionary dynamics and natural history of predators that cohabit in the same microhabitat.
... Scorpions generally adopt aggressive behaviors against heterospecific and conspecific individuals, often resulting in IGP or cannibalism (Polis and McCormick 1987). Larger scorpion species usually act as predators of juveniles of their species or smaller species (e.g., Lira et al. 2017;Blasco-Aróstegui et al. 2020;Rodríguez-Cabrera et al. 2020). In this study, we investigated the relationship between body size and habitat complexity with inter-and intraspecific interactions. ...
... In a size-structured IGP system, individual-level mechanisms are more important than species-level mechanisms in the presence of habitat complexity (Reichstein et al. 2012). Scorpions possess a size-structured assemblage, in which larger specimens sometimes act as predators of small individuals (e.g., Lira et al. 2017;Blasco-Aróstegui et al. 2020;Rodríguez-Cabrera et al. 2020). For example, previous studies reported that larger species feed on smaller species, e.g., T. forcipula Gervais, 1843 and T. brazilae Lourenço & Eickstedt, 1984prey upon Chactas vanbenedeni Gervais, 1843and T. pusillus in Colombia and Brazil, respectively (Moreno-González and Hazzi 2012Silva-Júnior et al. 2021). ...
Body size and habitat complexity are important regulatory factors in predator–prey dynamics. The goal of this study was to investigate the effects of the relationship between body size and habitat complexity on intra- and interspecific interactions in scorpions. We used 540 Tityus pusillus (360 adults and 180 s instar) and 180 juveniles of T. stigmurus. The individuals were divided into the following groups: intraspecific individuals of similar size, intraspecific individuals of different size, interspecific individuals of similar size, and interspecific individuals of different sizes. Each group was categorized into three subgroups based on habitat complexity: low, moderate, and high. Body size and habitat complexity correlated with predatory events in interspecific relationships. Cannibalism was not observed in arenas with similar-sized individuals or highly complex arenas with asymmetric-sized individuals. However, intraguild predation occurred regardless of the complexity of the arena and decreased as the complexity of the habitat increased. In both groups, the largest individual was the predator. The effect of habitat complexity on scorpion predation may be associated with their hunting strategies. Our study indicated that habitat complexity and body size play key roles in intra- and interspecific interactions in scorpion species.
... Devido ao seu hábito alimentar predatório, os escorpiões apresentam uma forte influência sobre a população de suas presas dos locais onde vivem, como insetos e outros invertebrados (POLIS; YAMASHITA, 1991). Além do papel de predadores, os escorpiões correspondem a uma importante parte da dieta de diversos outros animais como corujas e pequenos mamíferos (POLIS et al., 1981;RODRÍGUEZ-CABRERA et al., 2020). ...
O termo Bioma refere-se a uma área do espaço geográfico representada por um tipo uniforme de ambiente, dentro do qual é possível identificar características similares de macroclima, fitofisionomia, solo e altitude (WALTER, 1986). Dentro dessas áreas espécies surgiram e se desenvolveram em resposta à essas características do ambiente. Tal processo permite que por exemplo, dentro dessas áreas os vegetais apresentem aspectos, formas e processos fisiológicos característicos (CRAWLEY, 1989). Dessa maneira, a manutenção desses biomas, com suas características ambientais únicas, é de fundamental importância para a manutenção da biodiversidade e dos serviços ecossistêmicos que ali ocorrem (regulação climática, ciclo de matéria, segurança alimentar, entre outros) (PBMC/BPBES, 2018; JOLY et al., 2019). O Brasil é formado por seis grandes biomas: Amazônia, Caatinga, Cerrado, Mata Atlântica, Pampas e Pantanal (IBGE, 2019). Dentro desses ambientes são encontrados uma grande diversidade de fauna e flora e características únicas de relevo e clima. Essa variedade de biomas está relacionada a grande extensão territorial do Brasil e a sua posição geográfica. Todas essas características fazem do Brasil o maior detentor de biota continental do mundo, sendo estimado um valor entre 15% e 20% das aproximadamente 1,5 milhões de espécies descritas no planeta. Só de plantas vasculares os números mais recentes citados são de 56108 espécies, com 12400 (22%) endêmicas. Esses dados representam aproximadamente 22% do total mundial (LEWINSOHN; PRADO, 2002; SHEPHERD, 2002; HUBBELL, 2008; GIAM et al., 2010). Dentro desse contexto, os biomas Cerrado e Pantanal se integram por meio dos rios que nascem nos planaltos do Cerrado. Esses rios contribuem na formação do Pantanal, nas planícies inundáveis da bacia do Paraguai (BRASIL, 2007). No Domínio Cerrado, a dinâmica ambiental é proveniente de uma marcada sazonalidade climática com duas estações bem definidas, o período seco e o período chuvoso (ASSAD, 1994; SILVA, 2011). Essa sazonalidade climática modifica constantemente as propriedades do solo, da flora e da paisagem e a reestruturação de muitas comunidades (AMARAL et al., 2013; MALHEIROS, 2016). No Pantanal as áreas conhecidas como planícies de inundação se caracterizam pela presença de hábitats que variam de aquáticos a terrestres, de acordo com o grau de comunicação com o rio principal (PAZ; TUCCI, 2010). Os ciclos de secas e cheias são um importante fenômeno hídrico para a região, criando um sistema complexo e dinâmico (JUNK; DA SILVA, 1999; RESENDE, 2008). O Cerrado é uma das 25 áreas do mundo consideradas críticas para a conservação, devido à riqueza biológica e à alta pressão antrópica a que vem sendo submetido (MYERS et al., 2000). O Pantanal, por sua vez, é reconhecido mundialmente pela abundância de sua fauna (MITTERMEIER et al., 1990; HARRIS et al., 2005) e é considerado Reserva da Biosfera e Patrimônio Natural da Humanidade pela Unesco (BRASIL, 2018). O conhecimento dos aspectos que envolvem a fauna, a flora e as características dessas paisagens são de extrema importância para a sua conservação e preservação. As áreas de transição entre esses dois biomas, chamadas áreas de ecótono, se fazem presentes no estado do Mato Grosso do Sul. Nessa região, os biomas Cerrado e Pantanal possuem correlações quanto aos aspectos geomorfológicos e fitogeográficos (RODRIGUES et al., 2017). Na região o encontro entre o Planalto de Maracaju-Campo Grande e a Planície Pantaneira é uma área comum de elementos bióticos e abióticos entre o planalto e a planície (FILHO et al., 2009). A transição entre dois ecossistemas implica a existência de uma área com valores intermediários para diversos parâmetros ambientais (NEIFF, 2003). Por um lado, a área de transição pode gerar um aumento na biodiversidade, dado o fato dessas áreas apresentarem representantes de fauna e flora dos dois ecossistemas (VELOSO et al., 1991). Contudo, essas áreas de transição podem também representarem barreira ou área de isolamento com ecossistemas vizinhos (MALANSON, 1997). Desta forma, uma análise voltada para as áreas de ecótono entre esses dois biomas faz-se necessária, uma vez que a preservação de um depende da preservação do outro. Sobretudo para o entendimento de que essas paisagens de ecótono podem ser responsáveis pelo isolamento e amortecimento das alterações dentro dos biomas Cerrado e Pantanal. Este E-book traz estudos desenvolvidos na área de ecótono Cerrado Pantanal no município de Aquidauana (MS) e entorno. O município está localizado a 130 Km a oeste da capital Campo Grande. Aquidauana por se tratar de um município com influência dos biomas Cerrado e Pantanal, abriga uma grande biodiversidade, sendo citada pelo Ministério do Meio Ambiente (BRASIL, 2002) como área prioritária para conservação da biodiversidade. Na mesma via, o município se destaca por sua vocação turística e agropecuária, o que demanda atenção, devido ao processo de intensa ocupação e exploração antrópica dos recursos naturais. Dessa maneira, o conhecimento de suas características ambientais e dos processos ecológicos desempenhados por sua fauna e flora contribuem para sua preservação e manutenção.
... To our knowledge, only two scorpion species are known to have a somewhat specialized diet, apparently preferring spiders as prey items [184,185]. Data about scorpion diet and feeding ecology in the wild is generally sparse [186][187][188][189][190][191]. Therefore, most of the diet data is based on observations of wild or captive scorpions. ...
Scorpions possess two systems of weapons: the pincers (chelae) and the stinger (telson). These are placed on anatomically and developmentally well separated parts of the body, that is, the oral appendages and at the end of the body axis. The otherwise conserved body plan of scorpions varies most in the shape and relative dimensions of these two weapon systems, both across species and in some cases between the sexes. We review the literature on the ecological function of these two weapon systems in each of three contexts of usage: (i) predation, (ii) defense and (iii) sexual contests. In the latter context, we will also discuss their usage in mating. We first provide a comparative background for each of these contexts of usage by giving examples of other weapon systems from across the animal kingdom. Then, we discuss the pertinent aspects of the anatomy of the weapon systems, particularly those aspects relevant to their functioning in their ecological roles. The literature on the functioning and ecological role of both the chelae and the telson is discussed in detail, again organized by context of usage. Particular emphasis is given on the differences in morphology or usage between species or higher taxonomic groups, or between genders, as such cases are most insightful to understand the roles of each of the two distinct weapon systems of the scorpions and their evolutionary interactions. We aimed to synthesize the literature while minimizing conjecture, but also to point out gaps in the literature and potential future research opportunities.
Guide to scorpions of medical importance in Jalisco.
