Ecology of Thestylus Aurantiurus of the Parque Estadual Da Serra Da Cantareira, São Paulo, Brazil (Scorpiones, Bothriuridae)

Abstract

Individuals of a Thestylus aurantiurus Yamaguti & Pinto-da-Rocha 2003 population in the Parque Estadual da Serra da Cantareira (Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil) show an increase of activity throughout the year. This increase is related to the reproductive season of these scorpions, from September to November. The abundance of scorpions was related to environmental factors in four different areas of the park. More scorpions were collected in the higher areas, far away from water sources of the park and not exposed to flooding. A short description of the Thestylus aurantiurus burrows is also presented.

Relationship between environmental variables and surface activity of scorpions in the Arid Chaco ecoregion of Argentina

“…Soil type, topography, hydrology, soil humidity, food resources, and especially temperature and precipitation (Polis ; Dias et al. ; Yamaguti & Pinto‐da‐Rocha ) have been shown to affect scorpion activity in arid region ecosystems. Temperature profoundly affects many processes, including growth (Angilletta et al.…”

“…A few studies concerning scorpion ecology have been carried out in South America (Agusto et al. ; Yamaguti & Pinto‐da‐Rocha ; Araújo et al. ), but these used only pitfall traps as a method of capture.…”

“…Daily and seasonal patterns of scorpion activity are affected by both biological factors (e.g., the presence of predators, prey, or potential mates) and environmental factors (Polis 1990;Hoshino et al 2006). Soil type, topography, hydrology, soil humidity, food resources, and especially temperature and precipitation (Polis 1990;Dias et al 2006;Yamaguti & Pinto-da-Rocha 2006) have been shown to affect scorpion activity in arid region ecosystems. Temperature profoundly affects many processes, including growth (Angilletta et al 2004), locomotor performance (Forsman 1999), and surface activity (Bradley 1988).…”

“…These studies mostly concern members of only a few species in only three genera: Smeringurus mesaensis (STAHNKE 1957) and Paruroctonus utahensis (WILLIAMS 1968) (both Vaejovidae) in North America, and a few members of the genus Urodacus (Urodacidae) in Australia. A few studies concerning scorpion ecology have been carried out in South America (Agusto et al 2006;Yamaguti & Pinto-da-Rocha 2006;Ara ujo et al 2010), but these used only pitfall traps as a method of capture.…”

Diversity of scorpions (Chelicerata: Arachnida) in the Atlantic Forest in Pernambuco, northeastern Brazil

“…They are composed of secondary forests with different levels of regeneration (Ribeiro et al 2009). Although predators regulate many arthropod populations and can be food for invertebrates and vertebrates (Polis 1990), few ecological surveys highlighting scorpion species composition in the remnants of the Atlantic Forest have been performed (Dias et al 2006;Yamaguti and Pinto da Rocha 2006;Bertani et al 2008;Porto et al 2010;Lira et al 2013;Porto et al 2013). Most studies on arthropod diversity in this environment have been restricted to insects (Santos et al 2012;Souza et al 2013), spiders (Melo et al 2011), and harvestmen (Resende et al 2012a(Resende et al , 2012b.…”