Predation success depends on factors such as hunger, prey size, prey availability and intensity of competition. A neglected factor that may also influence predation success is the proper function of morphological traits related to prey search, capture and manipulation. Injuries that compromise the functionality of these morphological traits may reduce predation success. In many invertebrates, autotomy can compromise predation success because the detached body part may be crucial for hunting. However, empirical evidence linking autotomy and predation success is relatively scarce. We filled this gap using the scorpion Ananteris balzani, which autotomizes the last abdominal segments, known as the ‘tail’. This is a unique form of autotomy as ‘tail’ autotomy implies the loss of the stinger, an organ used for venom inoculation, which is the main form of large prey subjugation. Using a paired experimental design, we found that for both small and large prey, subduing success was higher when individuals were intact than when they were autotomized. After autotomy, subduing success of male scorpions decreased from 90% to 17% for small prey and from 47% to 1% for large prey. Subduing success of female scorpions after autotomy decreased from 98% to 93% for small prey and from 97% to 70% for large prey. Autotomized individuals took longer than intact individuals to subdue both small and large prey, but the effect size was higher for large prey. Considering that the tail does not regenerate, autotomized individuals (especially males) will experience a lifelong reduction in trophic niche breadth because their diet will be mostly composed of small prey. Moreover, autotomized individuals probably move more to enhance the likelihood of finding small prey, which may increase their exposure to predators and consequently the costs related to tail loss.

中文翻译：

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“尾巴”自切术和随之而来的毒刺损失降低了蝎子的捕食成功率

捕食成功取决于饥饿、猎物大小、猎物可用性和竞争强度等因素。也可能影响捕食成功的一个被忽视的因素是与猎物搜索、捕获和操纵相关的形态特征的适当功能。损害这些形态特征的功能的伤害可能会降低捕食成功率。在许多无脊椎动物中，自体切除会影响捕食成功，因为分离的身体部位可能对狩猎至关重要。然而，将自体切割和捕食成功联系起来的经验证据相对稀少。我们使用蝎子 Ananteris balzani 填补了这一空白，它自动切割最后的腹部节段，称为“尾巴”。这是一种独特的自体切除形式，因为“尾部”自体切除意味着毒刺的丧失，毒刺是一种用于接种毒液的器官，这是征服大型猎物的主要形式。使用配对实验设计，我们发现对于小型和大型猎物，个体完好无损时的制服成功率高于被自动切割时。自切后，雄性蝎子对小型猎物的制服成功率从 90% 下降到 17%，大型猎物从 47% 下降到 1%。自切后雌性蝎子的制服成功率从小型猎物的 98% 下降到 93%，大型猎物的从 97% 下降到 70%。自动化个体比完整个体需要更长的时间来制服小型和大型猎物，但对大型猎物的影响更大。考虑到尾巴不会再生，自体化个体（尤其是雄性）的营养生态位宽度将终生减少，因为它们的饮食主要由小型猎物组成。而且，