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Arthropods, 2026, 15(4): 207-212
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Article

Occurrence of Lychas armillatus (Gervais, 1841) (Scorpiones: Buthidae) in a fire-maintained pine forest in Central Cordillera, Luzon Island, the Philippines

Mark P. Villarubia, Von Eric S. Tagarino, Aris A. Reginaldo
Department of Biology, College of Science, University of the Philippines Baguio, Military Cut-off, Baguio City 2600, Benguet, the Philippines

Received 8 June 2026;Accepted 10 July 2026;Published 1 December 2026
IAEES

Abstract
We report an incidental field observation of Lychas armillatus (Gervais, 1841) in a fire-maintained Pinus kesiya community in the Central Cordillera mountain range of Luzon Island, the Philippines. An adult female was documented in situ carrying juvenile exuviae on its dorsum, consistent with the aggregation molting behavior of first-instars previously reported in other buthids. The presence of exuviae further suggests that L. armillatus can reproduce in this habitat. The locality is characterized by an open canopy of P. kesiya and a dense ground layer dominated by fire-adapted species, which more closely resembles a tropical pine savanna than any of the existing Philippine pine forest descriptions. This occurrence adds a buthid scorpion to the sparsely documented ground-dwelling fauna of Philippine pine communities and contributes habitat and ecological information for a species previously known almost entirely through taxonomic literature.

Keywords disturbance;fire ecology;microhabitat;Pinus kesiya;pyrodiversity..


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