Record of mygalomorph spider (Araneae: Theraphosidae) predation by a scorpion (Scorpiones: Buthidae) in a Brazilian seasonally dry tropical forest

Abstract

An adult female of the buthid scorpion Tityus stigmurus Thorell, 1876 was found in the Caatinga vegetation (c. 20 cm height), feeding on a juvenile of the mygalomorph genus Dolichothele Mello-Leitão, 1923 (Fig. 1). Because of the difficulty in identifying juveniles, the spider was classified to the genus level only. Dolichothele is represented by 11 small to medium-sized species, with no urticating setae (Valencia-Cuellar et al. 2019; World Spider Catalog 2021). These spiders are typically found under rocks, fallen trunks, and in naturally formed crevices (Valencia-Cuellar et al. 2019). In the Caatinga, all these microhabitats are also occupied by T. stigmurus scorpions (Lira, Souza &Albuquerque 2018).