"Tiny Pseudoscorpion Hitches a Ride on Scorpion"

Researchers from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem have documented the first observation of phoresy, a phenomenon where pseudoscorpions attach themselves to hosts for dispersal, involving a myrmecophile pseudoscorpion on a myrmecophile scorpion in Israel. The study, published in Arachnologische Mitteilungen: Arachnology Letters, focuses on the Nannowithius pseudoscorpions observed on the Birulatus scorpion, marking the first recorded instance of pseudoscorpions engaging in phoresy on a scorpion host. This observation sheds light on the intricate world of symbiotic relationships within the ant nest ecosystem and raises questions about dispersion cues and the co-evolutionary relationship between pseudoscorpions and scorpions.