Scorpion reproductive strategies, allocation and potential; a partial review

Abstract

Abstract. Most scorpion species are iteroparous, breeding more than once during their life. Some of these species are parthenogenetic. The other reproductive strategy (RS) semelparity, when scorpions breed only a single time during their life, is rare and has been documented only once. The mass allocated by the female to produce either a litter or a single offspring is the reproductive allocation (RA). It is difficult to calculate RA since the difference in female mass before and after parturition is difficult to obtain. In addition, the litter size is hardly ever accurate because of maternal cannibalism. An attempt was made to calculate RA in Nebo hierichonticus (E. Simon, 1872). Based on litter size, on breeding frequency and on longevity of the female, it is possible to estimate the reproductive potential (RP). These aspects of scorpion reproduction are reviewed and the difficulties involved in this study are discussed.

Short‐ and long‐term effects of an extreme case of autotomy: does “tail” loss and subsequent constipation decrease the locomotor performance of male and female scorpions?

“…Considering that the load we used was proportional to the total body mass of females and males, the sexual difference in locomotor performance of loaded individuals requires a biological explanation. We argue that females are better than males at copping with an extra load because they naturally experience great increase in total body mass during pregnancy (Warburg 2011). The second situation is when females are carrying offspring, a widespread maternal behavior in scorpions (Polis & Sissom 1990).…”

Scorpion body size, litter characteristics, and duration of the life cycle (Scorpiones)

“…In the case of scorpions, there are a few quantitative studies of female and offspring characteristics within populations, but not among species. Larger mothers produce larger litters in Centruroides sculpturatus Ewing, 1928, C. exilicauda Wood, 1863 and Vaejovis spinigerus Wood, 1863 (Brown, 2004;Warburg, 2011), but not in Scorpio maurus Linnaeus, 1758, Nebo hierichonticus Simon, 1872 and Tityus pusillus Pocock, 1893 (Warburg, 2011;de Albuquerque & de Araujo, 2016). To my knowledge, this is the first study to quantitatively compare life histories among species.…”

Notes on the courtship behavior of the parthenogenetic scorpion <I>Tityus stigmurus</I>

“…However, some species can also reproduce by parthenogenesis, in which females generate offspring without the genetic contribution of males (Francke 2008;Lourenço 2008). For these species, males are considered rare (Lourenço 2008(Lourenço , 2015, and parthenogenesis is assumed to be the main method of reproduction (Warburg 2011;Ayrey 2017;Seiter & Stockmann 2017). Consequently, behavioral studies addressing the courtship repertoire in scorpions that can reproduce by either method (i.e., sexual reproduction or parthenogenesis) are extremely rare, and this in turn leads to incorrect generalizations about the reproductive biology of these species.…”