Chemically induced predator avoidance behaviors exist in many arthropods. In this paper, we examined the behavioral responses of the desert scorpion, Paruroctonus marksi (Haradon, 1984), to airborne chemical cues from a natural predator, the larger scorpion Hadrurus arizonensis (Ewing, 1928). We used a Y-shaped, dual-choice olfactometer to test for avoidance behavior in the presence of a known predator, H. arizonensis. Prior to this study there has been little research done on chemically induced predator avoidance behaviors in scorpions. The results of this study suggest that P. marksi is capable of detecting a predator's airborne cues, though the nature and identity of these cues remain unknown, and it appears that the constellation array of the fixed finger does function in detecting these cues. We also discuss the importance of adaptive predator avoidance behaviors.
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1 April 2018
Evidence of airborne chemoreception in the scorpion Paruroctonus marksi (Scorpiones: Vaejovidae)
Zia Nisani,
Arielle Honaker,
Victoria Jenne,
Felina Loya,
Hoyoung Moon
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The Journal of Arachnology
Vol. 46 • No. 1
April 2018
Vol. 46 • No. 1
April 2018
arachnid
arthropod
kairomone
pheromone
Y-tube olfactometer