Cannibalism in Tityus metuendus Pocock, 1897 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) from the Brazilian Amazon

Cannibalism in Tityus metuendus Pocock, 1897 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) from the Brazilian Amazon

Martinsetal_2023pdf.pdf

Figure 1. Cannibalism records involving the scorpion Tityus metuendus in Brazilian Amazon. A. Adult male individual preying on a subadult in an urban forest fragment, state of Amazonas. B. Adult female preying on an adult male in an urban forest fragment, state of Amazonas. C. Adult male individual preying on a juvenile in Mogno State Forest, state of Acre. D. Adult male individual preying on a juvenile in rural zone, state of Amazonas. / Figura 1. Registros de canibalismo que involucran al escorpión Tityus metuendus en la Amazonia brasileña. A. Macho adulto depredando a un subadulto en un fragmento de bosque urbano, estado de Amazonas. B. Hembra adulta depredando a un macho adulto en un fragmento de bosque urbano, estado de Amazonas. C. Macho adulto depredando a un juvenil en el estado de Mogno Bosque, estado de Acre. D. Individuo macho adulto depredando a un juvenil en zona rural, estado de Amazonas.

Scorpions are predators that catch a wide diversity of prey, including members of their own species. Jonas martins and co-workers have recently published an article describing several cases of cannibalism in the Brazilian species Tityus metuendus Pocock, 1987 (Buthidae).

Abstract:
Scorpions are an important predator group in the habitats where they live, due to their voracity. However, their predatory habits are not well recorded, particularly in Amazonian species. Here we report four intraspecific predation events involving Tityus metuendus Pocock, 1987. In all cases, larger individuals acted as predators of smaller ones. These are the first reports of cannibalism involving scorpions in the Brazilian Amazon. Our findings are important to allow a better understanding of  intraspecific interactions in tropical scorpion assemblages.

Reference:
Martins JG, Almeida MR, Procópio RE, Lira AF. Cannibalism in Tityus metuendus Pocock, 1897 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) from the Brazilian Amazon. Revista Chilena de Entomología. 2024;50(1):57-61. [Open Access]

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