Once a prey, now a predator: an unusual record of a scorpion (Scorpiones: Chactidae) predated by a katydid (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) in the western Brazilian Amazon
M. R. Almeida, José Alessandro de França Nascimento, É. O. Machado, A. Lira
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
ABSTRACT Orthopterans are an important component of the food chain. The species belonging to the order Orthoptera are herbivores or predators, and several behave as opportunistic predators. However, their predatory habits are not well understood. Here we report the predation of a Chactopsis sp. scorpion by a Hyperomerus sp. katydid in a fragment of terra firme forest in the western Brazilian Amazon. The specimens were found on a 60-cm tall bush. The scorpion showed spasmodic motions of the metasoma while it was being devoured by the katydid. This is the first report of a predator-prey interaction between an orthopteran and a scorpion in the Amazon biome. We believe that records of this type are important to allow a better understanding of predator-prey interactions in tropical invertebrate communities.
期刊介绍:
Acta Amzonica is a multidisciplinary, peer-reviewed, open access, free-of-charge scientific journal for research in and about the Amazon region, published since 1971 by the Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia - INPA, in Brazil.
The journal publishes quarterly issues containing articles and short communications in English across a broad range of disciplines, including Agronomy and Forestry, Animal Sciences and Fisheries, Biodiversity and Conservation, Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacology, Environmental Sciences, Food Sciences, Geosciences, Health Sciences, Human and Social Sciences, and Materials Technology.