Aggregation tendencies of a female Vaejovis carolinianus population on France mountain, Tennessee

Abstract

ABSTRACTFrance Mountain is located within Overton County which is part of the Upper Cumberland region of Middle Tennessee contains only one species of scorpion, also the only species native to the state, Vaejovis carolinianus. This species is poorly researched, and little is known about its life history and ecology. The objectives of this study were to determine if female V. carolinianus prefer to form aggregations under large cover objects or seek out retreat sites where they would be the sole occupant. Based on past research, we hypothesized that females would form aggregations under large cover objects instead of being the sole occupant. A total of 32 scorpions were captured during August and September 2014. During laboratory trials, three scorpions were placed in a plywood tray containing sand substrate and three equally-sized large ceramic tiles. The scorpions were left undisturbed for a 24-hour period, after which the tiles were lifted to check for aggregations. Each group of three scorpions was in the research tray for three consecutive days. Four rounds of aggregation trials were conducted, and t-tests as well as linear regression were used to analyze the data collected. The results of the t-test showed that female V. carolinianus, when given a choice of similarly-sized large cover objects, would select a retreat site where they were the sole occupant; therefore, our initial hypothesis was rejected. Linear regression found relative humidity affected aggregation occurrence, for the largest number of aggregations occurred when the relative humidity was between 67 and 73%.