Sexual differences on body condition in litter-dwelling scorpion Tityus pusillus Pocock, 1893 (Scorpiones: Buthidae)

Abstract

Body condition may be an important additional tool for ecological studies. However, this information is still lacking for many arachnids such as scorpions. In addition, sex can be considered as a determining factor in the body condition of individuals since it can present differences in lifehistory traits. Thus, we evaluated the body condition of the litter-dwelling scorpion Tityus pusillus Pocock, 1893. For this, 88 individuals (44 by sex) were used, where the following body condition parameters were measured: body size, fresh, dry, lipid and muscle mass. Our results showed that females have a significantly higher values than males in all parameters of body condition measured. Differences in life-history traits between sexes, such as foraging activity and reproductive investment may be directly related to these findings. Finally, our results suggest that females possess a higher environmental requirement to maintain body condition.