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 ...

On the genus Ananteris Thorell, 1891 in French Guiana, with description of a new species (Scorpiones: Ananteridae)

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On the genus Ananteris Thorell, 1891 in French Guiana, with description of a new species (Scorpiones: Ananteridae)

Abstract

One new species belonging to the genus Ananteris Thorell is described from the foot of the Mount Grand Matoury, French Guiana. The description of this new species brings further evidence about the biogeographic patterns of distribution presented by most species of the genus Ananteris, which are highly endemic in many natural formations of South America and in particular in French Guiana. The new taxon described here raises the number of known species for the genus Ananteris in French Guiana to 13, and the total number of currently recognized species for the genus to 100. A geographical distribution map of the species occurring in French Guiana is presented and an identification key is proposed.

Ythier E. & Lourenço W. R., 2026. – A propos du genre Ananteris Thorell, 1891 en Guyane Française, avec la description d’une nouvelle espèce (Scorpiones: Ananteridae). Faunitaxys, 14(18): 1 – 12. https://archive.org/details/faunitaxys-f-419/page/4/mode/2up