Observations on the diet and reproduction of Centruroides gracilis from Honduras

 

Centruroides gracilis (Latreille, 1804) (Buthidae) is a widespread scorpion in Central America and Caribbean, but there is little information published on the behavior and ecology of this species. Anna Davison and co-workers have now published an obervational study on the diet and reproduction of this species on Utila Island in Honduras.

Abstract:
The brown bark scorpion Centruroides gracilis (Latreille, 1804) (Buthidae) is an abundant and widespread species, however, fairly little is known about its ecology and natural history. We include several observations from Utila Island, Honduras, that expand on the known literature regarding the diet and reproductive behavior of C. gracilis. We report several prey items for this opportunistic species, which include invertebrates such as spiders (including tarantulas), centipedes, katydids, and crickets; as well as a case of cannibalism between two adult females C. gracilis. We suggest that such cannibalism may be driven by high population densities and/or strong intraspecific competition for prey sources on the island. Additionally, we observed a courtship dance involving a female that still carried second-instar offspring, a common behavior within the Buthidae family, although, to our knowledge, not previously reported for C. gracilis.

Reference:
Davison AM, Brown TW, Arrivillaga C. Notes on the diet and reproduction of the bark scorpion Centruroides gracilis (Scorpiones: Buthidae) on Utila Island, Honduras. Euscorpius. 2020(314):1-7. [Open Access]