SCORPIONS, SCORPIONISM, LIFE HISTORY STRATEGIES AND PARTHENOGENESIS

W. R. LOURENÇO(1), O. CUELLAR(2)

(1)Société de Biogéographie, Paris, France, (2)Department of Biology, The University of Utah, 201 Biology Building, Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.A.

ABSTRACT.  Recently public health problems resulting from scorpion stings have shown an alarming increase in various tropical and subtropical countries such as Brazil, Mexico, Tunisia and Morocco. In some regions of Brazil, particularly in the States of Minas Gerais, São Paulo, Bahia, Goiás and the Federal District, more than 6000 scorpion stings with over 100 deaths were reported during a three-year period. In this paper, we attempt to demostrate the effects of human activities on the environment and their consequences on the distribution of dangerous species of scorpions. This topic is discussed in relation to the evolutionary ecology, life history strategies and asexual reproduction of scorpions.

KEY WORDS: Scorpionism, scorpion, life history strategy, parthenogenesis, Brazil.

CORRESPONDENCE TO:

W.R. LOURENÇO, Société de Biogéographie, 57 rue Cuvier  75005 Paris, France.