Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 1 of 1
Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences
The Design Of Complex Weapons Systems In Scorpions: Sexual, Ontogenetic, And Interspecific Variation, Gerard A. A. Fox
The Design Of Complex Weapons Systems In Scorpions: Sexual, Ontogenetic, And Interspecific Variation, Gerard A. A. Fox
Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects
Scorpions possess two integrated multifunctional weapons systems. Anteriorly, they maintain a grasping system comprised of a pair of pedipalps ending in chelae that seize and manipulate prey, ward off predators, and secure mates. Posteriorly, they wield a venom delivery system consisting of a tail-like metasoma with a stinger at the tip of the terminal segment (telson) that can be thrust into prey, predators, or mates to inject venom. Given the complexity of these systems, I hypothesized that weaponry design is subject to selective forces arising from differences in usage between the sexes, during ontogeny, and among closely-related species occupying different …