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1 December 2005 MATRIPHAGY IN THE NEOTROPICAL PSEUDOSCORPION PARATEMNOIDES NIDIFICATOR (BALZAN 1888) (ATEMNIDAE)
Everton Tizo-Pedroso, Kleber Del-Claro
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Abstract

We studied the natural history and social behavior of Paratemnoides nidificator (Balzan 1888) in a tropical savanna system. Females were responsible for all nymphal care. We observed, for the first time in pseudoscorpions, the occurrence of matriphagy behavior by the offspring. During conditions of food deprivation, the mother went out of the nest and passively awaited the protonymphs' attack, not reacting to the capture nor to the nymphs feeding on her body. We suggest that this extreme form of parental care, matriphagy, can reduce cannibalism among protonymphs and facilitate the evolution of social behavior in pseudoscorpions.

Everton Tizo-Pedroso and Kleber Del-Claro "MATRIPHAGY IN THE NEOTROPICAL PSEUDOSCORPION PARATEMNOIDES NIDIFICATOR (BALZAN 1888) (ATEMNIDAE)," The Journal of Arachnology 33(3), 873-877, (1 December 2005). https://doi.org/10.1636/S03-61.1
Received: 15 September 2003; Published: 1 December 2005
KEYWORDS
Arachnida
cannibalism
maternal care
social behavior
Tropical savanna
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