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 ...

Feeding behaviour of two buthid scorpions of the genus Androctonus Ehrenberg, 1828 from the central Sahara of Algeria (Scorpiones: Buthidae)

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Feeding behaviour of two buthid scorpions of the genus Androctonus Ehrenberg, 1828 from the central Sahara of Algeria (Scorpiones: Buthidae)

Abstract

Scorpions are predatory arthropods known for their hunting prowess and adaptability in various environments, but studies on the food preference of many species remain rare. The aim of this paper is to study the intra- and inter-guild feeding behaviour and food preference of two of the most abundant buthid scorpions of the genus Androctonus Ehrenberg, 1828: A. amoreuxi (Audouin, 1825) and A. australis (Linnaeus, 1758), in the Algerian Sahara. Food preference was experimentally assessed using several locally widely available species: the larvae of Tenebrio molitor Linnaeus, 1758 (laboratory breeding), Pimelia angulata Fabricius, 1775, Gomphocerinae sp., Mantis religiosa (Linnaeus, 1758) and Periplaneta americana (Linnaeus, 1758). For each prey species, we calculated the prey acceptance time (PAT), number of stings (NS), voracity time (VT), and the rate of consumption (RC). Our results show that T. molitor was the most preferred prey species, though the fixation and attack time for the prey P. angulata was significantly longer compared to other species. Additionally, A. amoreuxi exhibited higher voracity, while A. australis displayed a shorter feeding duration. The prey species P. americana, Gomphocerinae sp. and M. religiosa were moderately appreciated by the two scorpions. Moreover, the intra-guild predation and cannibalism results show that A. amoreuxi was more aggressive, while A. australis was faster.

Zouatine, O., Bissati, S., Chebout, A., Chedad, A., Sadine, S.E. 2024. Feeding behaviour of two buthid scorpions of the genus Androctonus Ehrenberg, 1828 from the central Sahara of Algeria (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Zoology and Ecology 34(2), 129–139. https://doi.org/10.35513/21658005.2024.2.6