Scorpions are important to the desert biome as prolific prey items, predators, and habitat modifiers. Our study set out to fill in the knowledge gap pertaining to the abundance and homing behavior of the Borrego dune scorpion, Paruroctonus borregoensi. A mark and recapture was conducted to determine if Borrego sand scorpions display site fidelity and as well as estimate population density in the Anza Borrego Desert in California. The Borrego sand scorpion displays no evidence of site fidelity. Additionally, females were found closer to shelter and in lower numbers than males, indicating that females take less risks. Borrego sand scorpion’s lack of site fidelity could have key implications in the modification of subterranean habitat for other desert species and further studies are needed to examine if fidelity changes with microbiome.

CEC Research Volume 2, Issue 3