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Home , Agama (lizard), Laudakia, Laudakia tuberculata

Herpetology Notes, volume 13: 1095-1097 (2020) (published online on 28 December 2020)

Predation of a scorpion by a Kashmir rock ( tuberculata) in Nainital,

Mohd. Akram1, Sven Mecke2, Parag M. Dhakate3, and Gaurav Vashistha4,*

Rock or whorl-tailed agamas (Laudakia Gray, digestive tract (91.2 % in yearlings). content 1845 and its allies) are a characteristic herpetofaunal mostly contained insects (28.8–76.0%), with other taxa, component in rugged arid landscapes of the Old World such as myriapods and chelicerates, contributing up to (e.g., Engelmann, 1986). These are omnivorous 2.8–15.2%. Plant-sourced diet was highest in dry, low (Panov and Zykova, 2016) and feed on seeds, fresh elevation mountain regions, whereas animal-sourced shoots, leaves, flowers, and fruits of various plant diet was mainly found in specimens from wetter parts , and to a larger proportion on several taxa of of both low and high elevation mountains. invertebrates, including spiders, beetles, locusts, and The observation of a Kashmir rock agama feeding on flies (Minton, 1966; Engelmann, 1986; Lal, 1991; Düşen a scorpion was made at 10:00 h on 4 October 2015 at and Öz, 2002; Ibrahim and El-Naggar, 2013). Even Kunjkharak, Nainital District, Uttarakhand State, India smaller lizards are taken (Engelmann, 1986; Waltener, (29.4666°N, 79.3930°E, elevation 2340 m) by MA, 1991; Panov and Zykova, 2016). Rock agamas also PMD, and GV. The study area consisted primarily of feed on poisonous flowers (Vishwakama et al., 2019) rocky terrain with moru oak (Quercus floribunda) and and well-armed prey species, such as scorpions, spiders, banj oak (Q. leucotrichophora) as dominant plant and stinging hymenopterans, including wasps, hornets, species. The was observed, catching the scorpion and bees (Waltener, 1991; Panov and Zykova, 2016). by biting it at mid-body and then repeatedly battering Both, the intake of plant and animal matter depends on it on the rocky ground by rapid tossing of its head with habitat elevation, vegetation, and season, with the intake the prey. The scorpion attempted to escape whenever of plant matter increasing with age (Engelmann, 1986; it hit the ground, but did not succeed. Eventually, the Waltener, 1991; Panov and Zykova, 2016). agama took hold of the injured scorpion and swallowed Waltener (1991) studied the diet of the Kashmir rock it (Fig. 1). The scorpion only tried to evade predation by agama, (Gray, 1827), in detail, moving away from the lizard. No defensive behaviour, with special consideration of elevation and sampled such as stinging, was observed. stomach contents of 221 agamas (143 from high and The agama was identified as L. tuberculata (adult 78 from low elevations). Plant matter had the highest female; total body length ~15 cm), one of five species contribution to the diet of adults (54.9–63.1%), whereas of rock agamas known to inhabit the Indian Himalayan juveniles had a higher content of animal matter in their Region (Chandra et al., 2018), based on the identification key provided by Baig et al. (2012). No attempt was made to identify the scorpion to or species on- site, as this would have had disturbed the predation process. Our photograph depicting the pedipalp of the scorpion protruding from the lizard’s mouth (Fig. 1), 1 Department of Forestry and Environmental Science, DSB however, is of little value for unequivocal identification. Campus, Nainital, Uttarakhand, India 263002. This becomes even more evident, since information on 2 Naturkundemuseum Paderborn, Im Schloßpark 9, 33104 scorpions in the region are limited to a few literature Paderborn, Germany. sources (e.g., Tikader and Bastawade, 1983; Chandra et 3 Uttarakhand Forest, Government of Uttarakhand, Western al., 2018) and several, overall similar taxa may occur in Circle Haldwani, Uttarakhand, India 263139. 4 Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Nainital District. Delhi, India 110007. Predation on scorpions has been reported for several * Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected] species of the genus Laudakia, such as L. caucasia 1096 Mohd. Akram et al.

References

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Vishwakarma, R., Sengupta, D., Gomes, L., Momin, A.C. (2019): Notes on Kashmir Rock Agamas, Laudakia tuberculata (Gray 1827), from the Kalesar Wildlife Sanctuary in Northern India. IRCF & Amphibians 26: 75–76. Waltener, R.C. (1991): Altitudinal ecology of Agama tuberculata Gray in the western . The University of Kansas Museum of Natural History Miscellaneous Publication 83: 1–74.

Accepted by Hinrich Kaiser