Diversity and seasonal composition of the scorpion fauna from a mountainous system on pampean grasslands in central Argentina

POMPOZZI GABRIEL; COPPERI SOFIA; SCHWERDT LEONELA; FERRETTI NELSON

STUDIES ON NEOTROPICAL FAUNA AND ENVIRONMENT

TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2016 p. 1 - 7

0165-0521

Scorpions are one of the most important taxa for ecological, conservation, and biogeographicstudies. Biodiversity in the pampean grassland hilly environment is relevant because of the highnumber of native plant and animal taxa. We studied the diversity, abundance and phenology of ascorpion community in a natural reserve from central Argentina. Samples were taken monthlyusing 10 pitfall traps. Five species of scorpions (269 individuals) were observed in the study site(Bothriuridae). Bothriurus prospicuus was the most abundant species with 40.15% of the totalindividuals captured. The Shannon index was H´ = 0.69 and the evenness index was 0.83.Scorpion abundance was significantly different between months and was significantly correlatedwith monthly mean temperature. The knowledge on the scorpion fauna in ?Ernesto Tornquist?Provincial Park could help in the preservation of natural grassland habitats.