Cannibalism in Tityus metuendus Pocock, 1897 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) from the Brazilian Amazon

Abstract

Scorpions are an important predator group in the habitats where they live, due to their voracity. However, their predatory habits are not well recorded, particularly in Amazonian species. Here we report four intraspecific predation events involving Tityus metuendus Pocock, 1987. In all cases, larger individuals acted as predators of smaller ones. These are the first reports of cannibalism involving scorpions in the Brazilian Amazon. Our findings are important to allow a better understanding of intraspecific interactions in tropical scorpion assemblages.

Keywords

• antagonistic interaction
• arachnids
• tropical forest