Biology of the diurnal Metasolpuga picta (Kraepelin) (Solifugae, Solpugidae) compared with that of nocturnal species
Metasolpuga picta (Kraepelin) is a diurnal solifuge restricted to the Namib Desert of SWA Namibia. Burrowing, mating, oviposition, and feeding behaviors are described and compared with other solifuge species. Thermoregulatory behavior, previously undocumented for solifuges, is associated with diurnal habits. Populations were bivoltine in 1979, whereas all solifuges previously studied have been univoltine. The biology of M. picta is otherwise similar to that of nocturnal species from North African, South-west Asian, and North American deserts.
The Journal of Arachnology
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Biology of the diurnal Metasolpuga picta compared with that of nocturnal species.pdf | 15.25 MB |