Hitching a ride on a scorpion

 

Phoresy is when one animal temporary attach itself to another animal solely for travel. This special behavior is seen in several organisms, e.g. in Psedoscorpions, and is often motivated by the need for travel and migration.

Sharon Warburg and co-workers published earlier this year the first observations of phoresy in scorpions involving a species of pseudoscorpion riding on the buthid Birulatus israelensis Lourenço, 2002 in Israel. Interestingly, both species are also myrmecophilic (having a symbiotic association with ant colonies and nests).

Abstract:
An observation of phoresy by pseudoscorpions on a scorpion host is recorded for the first time worldwide. Pseudoscorpions of the endemic species Nannowithius wahrmani (Beier, 1963) (Pseudoscorpiones: Withiidae) were observed phoretic on the endemic scorpion species Birulatus israelensis Lourenço, 2002 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) in Israel. Both are myrmecophiles of harvester ants of the genus Messor Forel, 1890.

Reference:
Warburg S, Zvik Y, Gavish-Regev E. Hitching a ride on a scorpion: the first record of phoresy of a myrmecophile pseudoscorpion on a myrmecophile scorpion. Arachnologische Mitteilungen: Arachnology Letters. 2023;66(1):34-7. [Open Access]

Thanks to Matt Simon for informing me about this article!