Fig 2. Mean weight variation of Tityus serrulatus under various environmental stresses over time.

Scorpions were deprived of food (FD, black squares, n = 140), water (WD, white circles, n = 100), and both resources (FWD, white squares, n = 100). Control groups (black circles, n = 150) had unrestricted access to water and food. Weights are expressed as the mean of the percentage of the initial weight of experimental groups + SEM. All test groups showed significant weight loss during experiments. In the particular case of FD, the increase in weight in the last weeks of experiment was consequence of the death and removal of lighter scorpions from the sample, and survival of individuals of greater mass–resulting in an apparent gain in weight that did not happen in fact.