A pseudoscorpion clinging to a cave salamander: phoresy or failed predation?

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  A pseudoscorpion clinging to a cave salamander: phoresy or failed predation? Abstract Pseudoscorpions are well known for phoretic associations with arthropods, but interactions with amphibians are rarely documented. Here we report a pseudoscorpion attached to the left palpebral region of an adult male Italian cave salamander, Speleomantes italicus , observed during a visual survey in a karst cave in Tuscany, Italy. The pseudoscorpion, assigned on the basis of visible morphology and locality to Chthonius cf. elongatus , was grasping a minute cutaneous fold on the lower margin of the left upper eyelid with one chela while the salamander moved slowly over the rock surface. No handling was performed and the initial contact between the two animals was not observed. The event therefore cannot be interpreted unambiguously, but may represent opportunistic phoresy or defensive attachment following a failed predation attempt. To our knowledge, this is the first published observation of a ...

ARACHNIDES BULLETIN DE BIBLIOGRAPHIE ET DE RECHERCHES (Issue No. 111)

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ARACHNIDES  BULLETIN DE BIBLIOGRAPHIE ET DE RECHERCHES 

Please remember that Jan Ove Rein keeps the latest bulletins for this journal on his news blog, The Scorpion Files, by permission of the editor, Gerard DUPRE. I would like to thank Gerard for the special mention in this most recent publication, No. 111

The journal has also been added to the list of "Resources".

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N'oubliez pas que Jan Ove Rein conserve les derniers bulletins de ce journal sur son blog d'actualité, The Scorpion Files, avec la permission du rédacteur en chef, Gerard DUPRE. Je tiens à remercier Gérard pour la mention spéciale dans cette plus récente publication, le n°111.

La revue a également été ajoutée à la liste des « Ressources ».