Courtship and mating in Scorpiops luridus

Jiao & Zhu has studied courtship and mating in Scorpiops luridus Zhu, Lourenco & Qi, 2005 (Euscorpiidae) and have now published a description of the behavior components involved.

Abstract:
In the current work, the courtship and mating of Scorpiops luridus Zhu Lourenço & Qi, 2005 (Euscorpiidae) from Xizang province (Tibet), China, were studied for the first time in the laboratory. Most of the mating behaviors in Scorpiops luridus are not remarkably different from those exhibited by other scorpions. However, for the first time a male pulling a female with its chelicerae to rapidly accomplish the sperm uptake was observed. Additionally, the sexual stinging behavior displayed by the male occurred in the initial stage, not during the promenade stage as previously described in several scorpion species. Through observation and analysis, we speculate that venom injection during sexual stinging is selective, possibly relying on the status shown by the stung scorpion (passive or aggressive). In order to clearly describe the process of courtship and mating, both sequences are represented in a flow chart, while the main behavior components of these processes were identified, analyzed and discussed.

Reference:
Jiao GB, Zhu MS. Courtship and mating of Scorpiops luridus Zhu, Lourenco & Qi, 2005 (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae) from Xizang Province, China. Journal of Venomous Animals and Toxins. 2010;16(1):155-65. [Free fulltext]

Family Euscorpiidae