Seasonal influence on foraging activity of scorpion species (Arachnida: Scorpiones) in a seasonal tropical dry forest remnant in Brazil

ABSTRACT

In Brazil, the Caatinga ecoregion is the only biome that lies completely within the country, covering approximately 11% of the national territory. This biome exhibits a strong climatic seasonality that may affect the activity of its fauna. We aimed to assess the effects of seasonality on scorpion foraging activity in an area of hypoxerophytic Caatinga, located in the municipality of Caetés, Pernambuco. Scorpions were collected through active nocturnal searching using ultraviolet flashlights during the rainy (May, June, and July) and dry (September, October, and November) seasons in 2017. A total of 96 specimens were collected, belonging to the Buthidae and Bothriuridae families, comprising seven species, Ananteris sp., Tityus pusillus, T. stigmurus, T. neglectus, Jaguajir rochae, Bothriurus asper, and B. rochai. No differences in foraging activity (rainy season, n = 47; dry season, n = 49) were found between rainy and dry seasons. These findings indicate that the studied area has a high scorpion richness, emphasizing the importance of conserving the area, as these animals are sensitive to habitat changes. In addition, the lack of variation between seasons found in this work may reflect the ecotonal nature of hypoxerophytic Caatinga.

KEYWORDS:

• Community ecology
• Caatinga
• Buthidae
• Bothriuridae

Acknowledgments

We are very grateful to Gisele Teixeira, Adriano de Souza, and Hugo Neves for their assistance during fieldwork. We also indebt to Hugo Neves and Milena Moreira for their assistance in scorpionsphotos.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

We are grateful to Fundação de Amparo à Ciência e Tecnologia do Estado de Pernambuco (FACEPE) for postdoctoral scholarship (BFP-0010-2.05/19) to AFA Lira and masteral scholarship to RF Oliveira.