Received: August 27, 2007.

Accepted: August 27, 2007.

Abstract published online: September 12, 2007.

Full paper published online: March 8, 2008

PARTHENOGENESIS IN SCORPIONS: SOME HISTORY – NEW DATA

LOURENÇO W. R. (1)

(1) National Museum of Natural History, Department of Systematics and Evolution, Arthropods, Arachnology Section, Paris, France.

ABSTRACT: Parthenogenesis, a rare phenomenon in Chelicerates, apart from mites, is reviewed in scorpions, notably Tityus serrulatus Lutz & Mello from Brazil, Tityus columbianus (Thorell) from Colombia and Tityus metuendus Pocock from Peru and Brazil. Thelytokous parthenogenesis (with all-female broods) is most often observed. The only known exception to this is T. metuendus in which arrhenotoky (all-male broods) has been observed. In the present paper, current ideas regarding parthenogenesis in scorpions are summarized. The notion of geographic parthenogenesis (‘parthénogenèse géographique’), coined by Vandel in 1928, is discussed. This rule is tentatively exemplified by a new case of parthenogenesis reported in a scorpion of the genus Tityus C. L. Koch, inhabiting ‘Pico da Neblina’ in Brazil / Venezuela.

KEY WORDS: scorpions, geographic parthenogenesis, review, thelytoky, arrhenotoky, deutherotoky.

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST: Conference presented in the Symposium “Reproductive Biology of Scorpions” during the 17th International Congress of Arachnology, August 5–10, 2007, São Pedro, São Paulo State, Brazil.

CORRESPONDENCE TO:

WILSON R. LOURENÇO, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Département de Systématique et Evolution, USM 0602, Section Arthropodes (Arachnologie),  CP 053, 57 rue Cuvier 75005 Paris, France: Email: arachne@mnhn.fr.