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Surface Activities of Some North American Scorpions in Relation to Feeding
Author(s) -
Hadley Neil F.,
Williams Stanley C.
Publication year - 1968
Publication title -
ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.144
H-Index - 294
eISSN - 1939-9170
pISSN - 0012-9658
DOI - 10.2307/1935535
Subject(s) - moonlight , predation , nocturnal , evening , ecology , biology , zoology , physics , astronomy
Field and laboratory studies were conducted on the nocturnal surface activities any feeding behavior of scorpions, using ultraviolet light. Two species, Vejovis confusus and V. mesaensis, showed a decrease in surface occurrence as the evening progressed, while Centruroides sculpturatus showed a random occupation throughout the night. Increased intensity of moonlight resulted in a significant decrease in surface occurrence in V. confuses and V. mesaensis; C. sculpturatus showed no significant response to increased illumination. Species differences in the amount of surface activity and feeding behavior were noted. Potential prey, food preferences, and mechanisms used in prey detection are also discussed.