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- Title
Gregarious behavior of two species of Neotropical harvestmen (Arachnida: Opiliones: Gonyleptidae).
- Authors
Chelini, Marie-Claire; Willemart, Rodrigo H.; Gnaspini, Pedro
- Abstract
We present the first record and description of the gregarious behavior of the Neotropical harvestmen Serracutisoma proximum (Mello-Leitao 1922) and Serracutisoma spelaeum (Mello-Leitao 1933) (Opiliones: Gonyleptidae: Goniosomatinae) (DaSilva & Gnaspini 2010). We followed and described the pattern of these aggregations over a period of 17 months in a cave in southeastern Brazil. Individuals of the two species aggregated with both conspecifics and heterospecifics during the non-reproductive season (i.e., from October to March, the cool and dry season). Aggregations contained up to 81 individuals, usually with a female-biased adult sex ratio. Multispecific aggregations were usually composed mainly of representatives of one of the two species, suggesting that although these species also aggregate with heterospecifics, there is a preference for aggregating with conspecifics. This study provides novel information on the social behavior of harvestmen, specifically regarding the composition of multispecific aggregations.
- Subjects
ARACHNIDA behavior; BIOLOGICAL aggregation; ANIMAL social behavior; ARACHNIDA reproduction; ANIMAL species; SEX ratio
- Publication
Journal of Arachnology, 2012, Vol 40, Issue 2, p256
- ISSN
0161-8202
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1636/Hi11-12.1