Predation of Tityus ocelote by a lizard in Costa Rica

 

Lizards eat scorpions, and scorpions eat lizards. Even the infamous Tityus C. L. Koch, 1836 (Buthidae) scorpions have their predators. Ray Gabriel and co-workers report that the anole Norops polylepis (Peters, 1874) in Costa Rica catch and eat the scorpion Tityus ocelote Francke & Stockwell, 1987.

Abstract:
A specimen of the anole Norops polylepis (Peters, 1874) observed consuming a female of Tityus ocelote Francke & Stockwell, 1987 in the Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio, Puntarenas Province, Costa Rica is reported. This is the only known natural enemy of this scorpion distributed in southern Costa Rica and northern Panama, and the report also involves the first recorded instance of scorpion predation by N. polylepis.

Reference:
Gabriel R, Burum B, Sherwood D. Predation of Tityus ocelote (Scorpiones: Buthidae) by the lizard Norops polylepis (Sauria: Dactyloidae) in Costa Rica. Revista Iberica de Arachnologia. 2021(38):187-8.

Thanks to Danniella Sherwood for sending me their article.