Sexual dimorphism and reproductive behavior in the Brazilian scorpion Tityus pusillus (Scorpiones, Buthidae)

We studied sexual dimorphism (SD) and reproductive behavior in the litter-dwelling scorpion, Tityus pusillus. SD was determined by measuring seven body structure attributes (prosoma, mesosoma, and metasoma lengths, and pedipalp chelae and metasomal segment V lengths and widths) in 634 individuals (2...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Invertebrate biology 2018-09, Vol.137 (3), p.221-230
Main Authors: Lira, André F.A., Pordeus, Laís M., Rego, Felipe N.A.A., Iannuzzi, Kaoana, Albuquerque, Cleide M.R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Atlantic Forest
Courtship
Females
Gestation
gestation time
Males
Mating
Nocturnal
Original Articles
Reproductive behavior
reproductive biology
Sexual behavior
Sexual dimorphism
Tityus pusillus
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:We studied sexual dimorphism (SD) and reproductive behavior in the litter-dwelling scorpion, Tityus pusillus. SD was determined by measuring seven body structure attributes (prosoma, mesosoma, and metasoma lengths, and pedipalp chelae and metasomal segment V lengths and widths) in 634 individuals (211 males and 423 females) from the Arachnological Collection of the Universidade Federal de Pernambuco. Reproductive behavior was observed in 55 couples during nocturnal activity observations conducted in the laboratory. In addition, we evaluated gestation time, hemispermatophore replacement, and sequential courtship. Individuals of T. pusillus exhibited typical reproductive behavior, with a short courtship time (averaging 10±5 min). Males only accepted new partners at least 48 h after first mating, suggesting that this period may be necessary for hemisper-matophore production. Females did not accept new partners for 24–48 h after their first mating. The average gestation period was 85±12 d, ranging 60–100 d. Our results showed a more complex picture of SD than previously described for this species, including features characteristic of both sexual size dimorphism (SSD) and sexual body component dimorphism in scorpions. In general, considering the relatively large size of the prosoma and mesosoma in T. pusillus, it seems reasonable to conclude that female-biased SSD exists in the species, and that male-biased sexual body component dimorphism is evident in the metasoma and chelae.
ISSN:1077-8306
1744-7410
DOI:10.1111/ivb.12221