Oumyma Zouatine, Samia Bissati, Abderrezzeq Chebout, Abdelwahab Chedad, Salah Eddine Sadine

Feeding behaviour of two buthid scorpions of the genus Androctonus Ehrenberg, 1828 from the central Sahara of Algeria (Scorpiones: Buthidae)

Abstract Scorpions are predatory arthropods known for their hunting prowess and adaptability in various environments, but studies on the food preference of many species remain rare. The aim of this paper is to study the intra- and inter-guild feeding behaviour and food preference of two of the most abundant buthid scorpions of the genus Androctonus Ehrenberg, 1828: A. amoreuxi (Audouin, 1825) and A. australis (Linnaeus, 1758), in the Algerian Sahara. Food preference was experimentally assessed using several locally widely available species: the larvae of Tenebrio molitor Linnaeus, 1758 (laboratory breeding), Pimelia angulata Fabricius, 1775, Gomphocerinae sp., Mantis religiosa (Linnaeus, 1758) and Periplaneta americana (Linnaeus, 1758). For each prey species, we calculated the prey acceptance time (PAT), number of stings (NS), voracity time (VT), and the rate of consumption (RC). Our results show that T. molitor was the most preferred prey species, though the fixation and attack time for the prey P. angulata was significantly longer compared to other species. Additionally, A. amoreuxi exhibited higher voracity, while A. australis displayed a shorter feeding duration. The prey species P. americana, Gomphocerinae sp. and M. religiosa were moderately appreciated by the two scorpions. Moreover, the intra-guild predation and cannibalism results show that A. amoreuxi was more aggressive, while A. australis was faster.

Doi https://doi.org/10.35513/21658005.2024.2.6

Keywords Androctonus; scorpion; inter-guild predation; cannibalism; prey species; feeding behaviour; Algeria

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