Olfactory learning in two Amblypygi species Paraphrynus laevifrons and Phrynus pseudoparvulus

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  Olfactory learning in two Amblypygi species Paraphrynus laevifrons and Phrynus pseudoparvulus Abstract A wide diversity of arthropod taxa have demonstrated the capacity for learning, but most of our current understanding comes from only a select subset of this highly diverse clade, with most studies focusing on various insect groups. Amblypygids (Order Amblypygi, Class Arachnida), however, are emerging as a model group for studying sensory integration and the neural substrates associated with learning and memory, especially as it relates to navigation. These nocturnal creatures possess specialized sensory appendages and one of the largest and most complex mushroom bodies - the part of the arthropod brain associated with learning and memory - of any arthropod. Prior field studies on multiple species demonstrate sophisticated homing abilities while laboratory-based behavioral assays in  Phrynus marginemaculatus  confirm olfactory-based learning associated with a refuge. I...

Foraging strategies, prey selection and size- and microhabitat-related diet variation in Buthus montanus (Scorpiones: Buthidae) in an arid area of SE Spain

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Foraging strategies, prey selection and size- and microhabitat-related diet variation in Buthus montanus (Scorpiones: Buthidae) in an arid area of SE Spain

Abstract

Scorpions are diverse and abundant in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide, especially in arid ecosystems where they play a relevant role as predators. However, few studies have examined diet composition, use of alternative foraging strategies, prey selection, and predator-prey size relationships of scorpions in different microhabitats. This study provides an analysis of the diet of Buthus montanus Lourenço & Vachon, 2004 in an arid area of SE Spain. Prey captured by scorpions were recorded during black-light censuses over the main activity season of B. montanus in the study area. Because scorpions were observed capturing prey on the ground surface, below ground, and in vegetation, prey availability was estimated using complementary methods for shrub- and ground-dwelling prey. Results show that B. montanus is a generalist predator that feeds on a diverse array of prey, although predatory arthropods and tenebrionid larvae comprised the highest proportion of its diet in both number of prey and biomass. Cannibalism was a major component of its diet, accounting for almost 25% of the biomass ingested, especially in large scorpions. The composition of the diet, prey-size variability, and predator-prey size relationship showed size-related differences. These size-related variations in the diet were also linked to habitat use, due to climbing vegetation by smaller scorpions. These results highlight the implications of ontogenetic shifts in the diet of B. montanus related to cannibalism by larger scorpions and climbing vegetation by smaller individuals, causing changes in the type of prey used by individuals of different size and predator-prey size relationships.

Francisco Sánchez-Piñero, Fernando Urbano-Tenorio, Leticia Puerta-Rodríguez "Foraging strategies, prey selection and size- and microhabitat-related diet variation in Buthus montanus (Scorpiones: Buthidae) in an arid area of SE Spain," The Journal of Arachnology, 52(3), 189-198, (5 January 2025) https://doi.org/10.1636/JoA-S-23-008