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Latitudinal Trends in Scorpion Assemblages of Brazilian Atlantic Forest: Do the Rapoport’s and Bergmann’s Rules Apply?

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Neotropical Gradients and Their Analysis

Abstract

By testing some of the most known ecogeographic rules, such as Rapoport’ rule, and Bergmann’s rule, we expand our knowledge on the spatial patterns governing the distribution of biodiversity across scales. This knowledge may then be translated into effective measures aimed to preserve endangered species and environments. In this chapter, we investigate how suitable are the Bergmann’s rule, and the Rapoport’s effect in explaining latitudinal trends in scorpion diversity in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest – one of the global biodiversity hotspots. To this end, we compiled occurrence data, and body size information of Atlantic Forest scorpion from public repositories, and scientific literature. A total of 2,429 occurrences for 28 species grouped in two families (Bothriuridae, and Buthidae) were obtained. We observed a positive and significant correlation between latitude and both species’ distribution ranges, and focal species richness. On the other hand, we did not find any apparent latitudinal pattern in the geographical distribution of body size in these animals. In summary, this study proposes that 1) scorpion richness in the Atlantic Forest does not adhere to the Rapoport’s effect, being more similar to the assumptions of the Inverse Rapoport’ rule, and latitudinal diversity gradient hypothesis; and 2) a comprehensive pattern in the spatial distribution of scorpion body sizes in the Atlantic Forest seems to be absent, or at least, its complexity cannot be explained by well-known ecogeographical rules such as the Bergmann’s rule. The potential associations between such biodiversity patterns and the biogeographical backgrounds of the Atlantic Forest are discussed. We strongly believe that what was highlighted here will improve our overall understanding concerning the spatial drivers of species richness in the Atlantic Forest, which may help future studies and conservation planning.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Dr. Randall W. Myster for inviting us to participate in the book through this chapter. We also thank Andria de Paula, Adriano DeSouza, Adriano Kury, Carlos Toscano-Gadea and Leonardo Carvalho for providing scientific literature. We would also like to thank the Fundação de Amparo à Ciência e Tecnologia do Estado de Pernambuco (FACEPE) for the postdoctoral scholarship (BFP -0121-2.05/20) to André F.A. Lira. Finally, we thanks the Estonian Research Council for providing financial support (PRG741) for Stênio Í.A. Foerster.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biociência Animal, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil

    André F. A. Lira

  2. Centro de Ciências Agrárias, Ambientais e Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Recôncavo da Bahia, Cruz das Almas, Brazil

    Alessandra R. S. Andrade

  3. Department of Zoology, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia

    Stênio I. A. Foerster

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  1. André F. A. Lira
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  1. Department of Biology, Oklahoma State University, Oklahoma City, OK, USA

    Randall W. Myster

Appendix 7.1

Appendix 7.1

Scorpion species listed to the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. The occupancy refers to the number of 0.5° × 0.5° grid cells in which the species were present. “Rapoport” column states if the species were used to test the Rapoport’s Effect in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest; all species listed below were used to test the adequacy of Bergmann’s rule to the scorpion assemblages in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Bergmann’s reference states the source of the carapace length was obtained.

Species

Records

Occupancy

Rapoport

Bergmann’s reference

Bothriuridae

    

Bothriurus asper Pocock, 1893

147

18

yes

Lira et al. (2021a, b)

Bothriurus bonariensis (C.L. Koch 1842)

246

10

yes

Olivero et al. (2012)

Bothriurus moojeni Mello-Leitao, 1945

1

1

No

San Martin (1967)

Bothriurus sooretamensis San Martín, 1966

1

1

No

San Martin (1966)

Bothriurus vachoni San Martín, 1968

1

1

No

San Martin (1968)

Thestylus aurantiurus Yamaguti & Pinto-da-Rocha, 2003

8

7

yes

Yamaguti and Pinto-da-Rocha (2003)

Thestylus glasioui Bertkau, 1880

16

11

yes

Yamaguti and Pinto-da-Rocha (2003)

Urophonius iheringi Pocock, 1893

1

1

No

Pocock (1893)

Buthidae

    

Ananteris balzanii Thorell, 1891

16

5

yes

Outeda-Jorge et al. (2009)

Ananteris bernabei Giupponi, Vasconcelos & Lourenço, 2009

1

1

No

Giupponi et al. (2009)

Ananteris kuryi Giupponi, Vasconcelos & Lourenço, 2009

1

1

No

Giupponi et al. (2009)

Ananteris mauryi Lourenço, 1982

39

5

Yes

Lira et al. (2021a, b)

Isometrus maculatus (DeGeer, 1778)

26

7

Yes

Sulakhe et al. (2020)

Tityus aba Candido, Lucas, de Souza, Diaz & Lira-da-Silva, 2005

8

3

Yes

Candido et al. (2005)

Tityus adrianoi Lourenço, 2003

6

2

yes

Lourenço (2003)

Tityus bahiensis (Perty, 1833)

46

16

yes

Outeda-Jorge et al. (2009)

Tityus brazilae Lourenço & Eickstedt, 1984

222

19

yes

Lira et al. (2021a, b)

Tityus costatus (Karsch, 1879)

25

12

yes

Outeda-Jorge et al. (2009)

Tityus fasciolatus Pessôa, 1935

2

1

no

Lourenço (1980)

Tityus kuryi Lourenço, 1997

1

1

no

Outeda-Jorge et al. (2009)

Tityus mattogrossensis Borelli, 1901

47

8

yes

Outeda-Jorge et al. (2009)

Tityus neglectus Mello-Leitao, 1932

24

10

yes

Lira et al. (2021a, b)

Tityus pintodarochai Lourenço, 2005

1

1

no

Lourenço (2005)

Tityus potameis Lourenço & Leao Giupponi, 2004

7

7

yes

Lourenço and Giupponi (2004)

Tityus pusillus Pocock, 1893

12

6

yes

Lira et al. (2021a, b)

Tityus serrulatus Lutz & Mello, 1922

1063

58

yes

Outeda-Jorge et al. (2009)

Tityus stigmurus (Thorell, 1876)

460

24

yes

Lira et al. (2021a, b)

Zabius gaucho Acosta, Candido, Buckup & Brescovit, 2008

1

1

no

Acosta et al. (2008)

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Lira, A.F.A., Andrade, A.R.S., Foerster, S.I.A. (2023). Latitudinal Trends in Scorpion Assemblages of Brazilian Atlantic Forest: Do the Rapoport’s and Bergmann’s Rules Apply?. In: Myster, R.W. (eds) Neotropical Gradients and Their Analysis. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-22848-3_7

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