Sorry for the tabloid headline. ;)
Scorpion females have a greater investment in the offspring than males and because of this are selected to be more picky when it comes to allowing males to mate. And an unwilling scorpion female is no joke, she can both push and sting an unwanted male.
Milena Moreira and co-workers recently published a study on the sexual receptivity of female Tityus pusillus Pocock, 1893 (Buthidae) from Brazil in respone to eager males' courtship attempts. As expected, the females generally behaved aggressive towards flirting males, but in spite of this, the persistence of the male had a positive effect in courtship probability. So "pushy" and males actually had a greater chances of successful mating. One theory that might explain the female behavior is that the ability to overcome the aggressive behavior of females can be an indication of the quality of males.
It has to be added that the willingness of the females also was linked to the reproductive season indicating that also environmental factors may play a significant role in the males' success.
Abstract:
Due to the high reproductive investment, females are the decisive sex when making decisions about whether or not to reproduce. Generally, female scorpions display aggressive sexual behavior in response to male reproductive advances when they are not receptive. However, female receptivity can vary over time, depending on environmental factors favorable to reproduction Thus, the current study aimed to examine the correlation between the number of reproductive attempts by male Tityus pusillus scorpion and mating success over time, considering the female's behavioral response. Behavioral analyses were monthly conducted on 150 T. pusillus field-caught pairs over a five-month period. Our results indicate that despite females reacting aggressively to male advances, the persistence of the male has a positive effect in courtship probability. Furthermore, we observed variations in female behavior throughout the studied period, suggesting that female receptivity might be linked to the reproductive season. Therefore, environmental factors may play a significant role in regulating scorpion reproduction in Neotropical forests.
Reference:
Moreira MOM, Moura GJB, Lira AFA. Sexual receptivity of females on Neotropical scorpion Tityus pusillus Pocock, 1893 in response to male reproductive advances. Biologia. 2024; Published Online 30.04.24. [Open Access]
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