Locomotory activity and orientation of<i>Mesobuthus gibbosus</i>(Scorpiones: Buthidae) in central Aegean Archipelago

Kaltsas, Dimitris; Mylonas, M.

doi:10.1080/00222931003632732

Cited by 13 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…[ 122 , 123 ]). A male-longer metasoma could alternatively be a by-product of different selection pressures on more sedentary females compared to more vagile males [ 121 , 124 , 125 ], resulting in different foraging [ 126 ] or defense/escape [ 49 ] tactics. We suspect that sexual selection has shaped the dimorphism of this body component in H .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Intersexual and interspecific differences in pectine structure may reflect, for example, differing degrees of vagility in scorpions. Males typically travel more and occupy larger home ranges than females, particularly during the breeding season when males are searching for mates, and given the sensory importance of the pectines, exaggeration of this body component in males is reasonable [ 58 , 124 , 130 – 132 ]. However, the pectines may also function in prey detection [ 133 , 134 ], and therefore could be under the influence of natural selection.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Dilemma of Choosing a Reference Character for Measuring Sexual Size Dimorphism, Sexual Body Component Dimorphism, and Character Scaling: Cryptic Dimorphism and Allometry in the Scorpion Hadrurus arizonensis

2015

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Sexual differences in morphology, ranging from subtle to extravagant, occur commonly in many animal species. These differences can encompass overall body size (sexual size dimorphism, SSD) or the size and/or shape of specific body parts (sexual body component dimorphism, SBCD). Interacting forces of natural and sexual selection shape much of the expression of dimorphism we see, though non-adaptive processes may be involved. Differential scaling of individual features can result when selection favors either exaggerated (positive allometry) or reduced (negative allometry) size during growth. Studies of sexual dimorphism and character scaling rely on multivariate models that ideally use an unbiased reference character as an overall measure of body size. We explored several candidate reference characters in a cryptically dimorphic taxon, Hadrurus arizonensis. In this scorpion, essentially every body component among the 16 we examined could be interpreted as dimorphic, but identification of SSD and SBCD depended on which character was used as the reference (prosoma length, prosoma area, total length, principal component 1, or metasoma segment 1 width). Of these characters, discriminant function analysis suggested that metasoma segment 1 width was the most appropriate. The pattern of dimorphism in H. arizonensis mirrored that seen in other more obviously dimorphic scorpions, with static allometry trending towards isometry in most characters. Our findings are consistent with the conclusions of others that fecundity selection likely favors a larger prosoma in female scorpions, whereas sexual selection may favor other body parts being larger in males, especially the metasoma, pectines, and possibly the chela. For this scorpion and probably most other organisms, the choice of reference character profoundly affects interpretations of SSD, SBCD, and allometry. Thus, researchers need to broaden their consideration of an appropriate reference and exercise caution in interpreting findings. We highly recommend use of discriminant function analysis to identify the least-biased reference character.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Dilemma of Choosing a Reference Character for Measuring Sexual Size Dimorphism, Sexual Body Component Dimorphism, and Character Scaling: Cryptic Dimorphism and Allometry in the Scorpion Hadrurus arizonensis

2015

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“…This change in activity during the lunar cycle is perhaps because of nocturnal visual predators (Warburg & Polis, 1990). Adult scorpions but not juveniles reduced activity during high illumination of the lunar cycle for Buthus occitanus (Skutelsky, 1996) and Mesobuthus gibbosus (Brullé, 1832) (Kaltsas & Mylonas, 2010). However, not all scorpions differ in activity because of the lunar cycle including Centruroides sculpturatus Ewing, 1928(Hadley & Williams, 1968 and S. mesaensis (Polis, 1980a).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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2012

Euscorpius

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Ontogenetic shifts in activity and habitat use by the scorpion Centruroides vittatus in Laredo, Texas can occur with shifts in microhabitat use, the height of the scorpion in vegetation and seasonal and lunar activity among different sizes of C. vittatus but not taxa of prey in the diet. The microhabitat use by the different size classes was significantly different with significant associations among the cacti with a high frequency of larger scorpions on prickly pear cactus and strawberry cactus and between grass and other vegetation with a high frequency of smaller scorpions on grass. A comparison of the mean height of scorpion on blackbrush among the size classes was not significant but height on grass was significant. The activity of the size classes was significantly different among months and lunar cycle. Temperature had a significant effect on the activity of scorpions by different size classes and in different microhabitats. Caterpillar availability did not have a significant association with either scorpion size class or microhabitat use by scorpions. The taxa of prey captured by the different size classes were not significantly different including no notable difference in scorpions feeding on caterpillars. The size classes of C. vittatus show microhabitat and temporal shifts in activity. The results suggest that smaller scorpions can possibly be avoiding the larger scorpions by reducing activity in the preferred microhabitat (prickly pear and strawberry cactus) of larger scorpions.

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“…0-0750) at least 18 days before testing. Previous studies found that painting the mesosomata did not seem to affect the activity of the scorpions (Tourtlotte 1974;Kaltsas and Mylonas 2010).…”

Section: Animalsmentioning

confidence: 91%

Non-visual homing and the current status of navigation in scorpions

Prévost

Stemme

2020

Anim Cogn

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Within arthropods, the investigation of navigational aspects including homing abilities has mainly focused on insect representatives, while other arthropod taxa have largely been ignored. As such, scorpions are rather underrepresented concerning behavioral studies for reasons such as low participation rates and motivational difficulties. Here, we review the sensory abilities of scorpions related to navigation. Furthermore, we present an improved laboratory setup to shed light on navigational abilities in general and homing behavior in particular. We tracked directed movements towards home shelters of the lesser Asian scorpion Mesobuthus eupeus to give a detailed description of their departure and return movements. To do so, we analyzed the departure and return angles as well as measures of directness like directional deviation, lateral displacement, and straightness indices. We compared these parameters under different light conditions and with blinded scorpions. The motivation of scorpions to leave their shelter depends strongly upon the light condition and the starting time of the experiment; highest participation rates were achieved with infrared conditions or blinded scorpions, and close to dusk. Naïve scorpions are capable of returning to a shelter object in a manner that is directionally consistent with the home vector. The first-occurring homing bouts are characterized by paths consisting of turns about 10 cm to either side of the straightest home path and a distance efficiency of roughly three-quarters of the maximum efficiency. Our results show that neither chemosensation nor vision, but rather path integration based on proprioception, plays a superior role in the homing of scorpions.

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Locomotory activity and orientation ofMesobuthus gibbosus(Scorpiones: Buthidae) in central Aegean Archipelago

Cited by 13 publications

References 43 publications

The Dilemma of Choosing a Reference Character for Measuring Sexual Size Dimorphism, Sexual Body Component Dimorphism, and Character Scaling: Cryptic Dimorphism and Allometry in the Scorpion Hadrurus arizonensis

The Dilemma of Choosing a Reference Character for Measuring Sexual Size Dimorphism, Sexual Body Component Dimorphism, and Character Scaling: Cryptic Dimorphism and Allometry in the Scorpion Hadrurus arizonensis

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Non-visual homing and the current status of navigation in scorpions

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