First record of bird and spider species preying on dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) in the Amazon Forest

Posted by
  First record of bird and spider species preying on dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) in the Amazon Forest Abstract Predator-prey relationships are critical for establishing trophic networks, but our understanding of these interactions is hindered by a lack of records in tropical rainforest ecosystems. Although literature indicates that dung beetles may be preyed by a wide range of animal species, surprisingly, there are no such antagonistic records between dung beetles and other species in the Amazon forest. The objective of this study is to present two records of such interactions in the Amazon, involving a bird and a spider species preying on dung beetles. The bird  Galbula albirostris  Latham, 1790 (Aves: Galbulidae) was observed feeding on a Deltochilini dung beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in a  terra firme  forest, while a  Canthidum  sp. was captured in a  Trichonephila  sp. (Araneae: Nephilidae) spider web on a...

The Ongoing Expansion of the Medically Important Scorpions in Southern South America

Posted by

 


The Ongoing Expansion of the Medically Important Scorpions in Southern South America

Abstract

We revise the expansion of synanthropic medically important species of Scorpions of genus Tityus in southern South America: Tityus bahiensis (Perty 1833), Tityus carrilloi Ojanguren-Affilastro 2021, Tityus confluens Borelli 1899, Tityus costatus (Karsch, 1879), Tityus serrulatus Lutz & Mello, 1922, and Tityus trivittatus Kraepelin 1898, which due to their synanthropic capabilities we regard as invasive species. We also build species distribution models (SMDs) from bioclimatic variables using Maxent. We also included the human density variable in the model, because medically important species in the area are synanthropic, being more common in urban areas than in natural environments. We present their current suitable areas and the potential future distribution up to 2070. According to our analyses most species will expand in the close future, reaching countries without Scorpionism problems, such as Chile and Uruguay. We conclude that, besides synanthropic capabilities, parthenogenesis is the main factor favoring the expansion of some of these species. We also conclude that interactions between invasive Tityus species may hinder their expansion process due to potential competition or exclusion mechanisms.

Barrios-Montivero, A.E., Martínez, P.A. & Ojanguren-Affilastro, A.A. The Ongoing Expansion of the Medically Important Scorpions in Southern South America. EcoHealth (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-025-01722-0