Abstract
The buthid scorpion genus Birulatus Vachon, 1974 includes three species, endemic to the Levant, each from a different location in Jordan, Israel and Syria, and all described from a single specimen. Fewer than ten specimens of the genus were collected so far. Nothing is known regarding their biology and ecology. During three collecting expeditions in the summer of 2016 near Mehola in the Jordan Valley, Palestine, 31 individuals of Birulatus israelensis Lourenço, 2002 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) were collected, all found exclusively on active foraging trails of the ant species Messor ebeninus Santschi, 1927, around their nests or coming in and out of the nests. These findings suggest that Birulatus has a myrmecophilous relationship with M. ebeninus ants.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 21-23 |
| Number of pages | 3 |
| Journal | Arachnologische Mitteilungen |
| Volume | 2017 |
| Issue number | 54 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1 Jan 2017 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2017 Arachnologische Gesellschaft e.V. All Rights Reserved.
Keywords
- Ants
- Levant
- Messor
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
- Insect Science