Euscorpius tergestinus (C.L. Koch, 1837)
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.18590/euscorpius.2006.vol2006.iss36.1 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03F887C2-6C04-FF94-6747-FB6FE7E6F981 |
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treatment provided by |
Felipe |
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scientific name |
Euscorpius tergestinus (C.L. Koch, 1837) |
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Euscorpius tergestinus (C.L. Koch, 1837) View in CoL
( Figs. 9–11 View Figure 9 View Figure 10 View Figure 11 , Table 5)
In the detailed work of Fet & Soleglad (2002), E. carpathicus (L., 1767) sensu stricto was restricted to Romania, while some subspecies of the “ carpathicus ” complex were elevated to species status. One of these is E. tergestinus , which was further reduced by Vignoli et al. (2005) who separated the sibling species E. concinnus (see below). As accepted now, E. tergestinus is found in Albania, Austria (introduced), Croatia, southern France ( Corsica), Greece, Italy (mainly north, but also central part, where it is sympatric with E. sicanus and E. concinnus ), Monaco, San Marino, Slovenia, and maybe Spain (at French boundary). It also was introduced in Austria, and was introduced, but now extinct, in Czech Republic ( Fet et al., 2004).
In Italy, E. tergestinus is widely distributed through Lombardy, Trentino-Alto Adige, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and Veneto, while the southeastern boundary of its range is less exactly known (Umbria and Marche). According to Vignoli et al. (2005), this species is also common in Tuscany and Latium. The author studied E. tergestinus in northern Italy (Emilia Romagna, Lombardy, Veneto; see Fig. 11 View Figure 11 ).
Few altitudinal data can be determined from the literature, mainly because E. tergestinus was not distinguished by the earlier authors. Fet et al. (2001) report (as E. carpathicus ) a maximal altitude of 400 m a.s.l. in its northeastern part of its range ( Slovenia). During this study, most of the specimens was found between sea level (2 m a.s.l., Venice) and 600 m a.s.l., with the maximal altitude near Cislano, Lombardy (about 650 m a.s.l.).
The ecological demands of E. tergestinus are similar to those of E. sicanus ; E. tergestinus also shows ecological competition with E. concinnus . Author’s observations confirm the data of Vignoli et al. (2005), with a very high percentage (94.4%) of specimens found in abandoned houses or ruins ( Fig. 10 View Figure 10 ); there they seemed to colonize both humid and dry rooms. A small fraction (5.6%) of E. tergestinus was found in and around inhabited houses. However, the walls colonized by this species are usually humid and often covered by moss. An adult male from Ceraino (Veneto, Italy) was observed nearly dead because of low temperatures, on a wall inside a fortress.
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Euscorpius — 2006, No. 36
Vignoli et al. (2005) reported the unusual case of a specimen of E. tergestinus from Sistiana (Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy) found in a natural habitat, and suggested this is due to the presence there of the larger E. italicus that would occupy anthropogenic habitats. Larger species usually occupy most favorable habitats against smaller species, then segregated to harder environmental conditions (Polis & McCormick, 1987; quoted after Vignoli et al., 2005). This kind of interaction, observed with other pairs of sympatric and sometimes syntopic species, was noticed once by the author in Ceraino (Veneto, Italy). Several E. tergestinus specimens were found inside an abandoned fortress, while an adult female (maybe pregnant) of E. italicus was found under a stone next to the path leading to the fortress. We can only suggest that other specimens could be inhabiting cracks in the rocky cliff; however, no other scorpions were found under stones. In this case the larger species, E. italicus , would occupy the most favorable habitat, considered by Vignoli et al. (2005) as the anthropogenic one. It could be that rocky cliffs are more ecologically favorable than abandoned buildings. The cliffs are heated considerably to convection by the stone, but they are also drier due to their exposure to sunlight. On the contrary abandoned buildings are not sufficiently heated (especially in underground portions); however, they have a quite stable range of temperatures and humidity during the year. Protection from predators should be similar in both habitats, mainly due to the similar way of life of scorpions, which occupy cracks in both cases.
As indicated by Crucitti (1993) and by observations in this study (see below), E. italicus is a thermophilous species, more tolerant to water scarcity than other Euscorpius species. In this case it could be that this larger species occupied its most favorable habitat, the hotter and drier one (rocky cliffs), while the smaller one ( E. tergestinus ) occupied the remaining habitat that, however, is preferred by most Euscorpius species.
Regarding intraspecific relations, inside the same fortress some scorpion remains ( E. tergestinus ) were found on the ground under the shelter of an adult male (maybe the result of cannibalism). During this study, males were not found together with live females; only, in a fortress in Ceraino (Veneto, Italy; June), live males were found in same room with females’ remains, that, however, were not very old.
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