A Study on Litter Size in Several Important Medical Scorpions Species (Arachnida: Scorpionida), I.R. Iran

Abstract

Background and Objective: Scorpions are considered as one of the most important natural hazards and introduced as a dangerous arthropods. Reproduction is the key factor for survival of any species, then interest has increased in knowing the litter size of a female scorpion species. The aim of present study was to determine the litter size and abundance of newborns in the most important of scorpions in laboratory condition. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive study, scorpions which represented six medically important species were collected from their natural habitats in two provinces of Khuzestan and Isfahan of Iran. All females gave birth in laboratory condition. The number of juveniles for each species were counted immediately after newborns were detected. Data analyses were conducted using SPSS for window version 16.0. Results: The litter size for Hemiscorpius lepturus was 15-31, Odonthobutus doriae 10-25, Mesobuthus eupeus 14-29, Androctonus crassicauda 15-45, Orthochirus scrobiculosus 12-21 and Olivierus caucasicus 19-23 . All parturitions were occurred from late August to mid-October in the laboratory. The findings of the present study indicated that in the laboratory conditions, the litter size for A. crassicauda was the most whereas this value for O. scrobiculosus was less than the other species. Conclusion: It can be concluded that perhaps there is a positive correlation between the maternal female size and the litter size.