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Feeding behaviour of two buthid scorpions of the genus Androctonus Ehrenberg, 1828 from the central Sahara of Algeria (Scorpiones: Buthidae)
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Luis A. Roque
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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.
Zouatine, O., Bissati, S., Chebout, A., Chedad, A., Sadine, S.E. 2024. Feeding behaviour of two buthid scorpions of the genus
Androctonus Ehrenberg, 1828 from the central Sahara of Algeria (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Zoology and Ecology 34(2), 129–139.
https://doi.org/10.35513/21658005.2024.2.6
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