Abundance estimates were not only based on active search but
also on pitfall traps to minimise differences due to variations in the
activity time of the scorpion species since errant species, such as
T. pusillus, are easier to see and to collect than humicolous species,
such as A. mauryi.
The traps consisted of plastic bottles (9.0 cm in diameter, with
a volume of 500 ml) containing 70% alcohol (200 ml) as a preservative.
Drops of detergent were used to break the surface tension.
The traps were buried in the ground and protected by a suspended
polystyrene disc. They remained exposed for 5 days. Pitfall traps
were set in the two sites, 15 pitfall traps per site. Surveys were performed
during both the dry and the rainy seasons, two field trips
per season. At each site, traps were deployed along three 12 m transects,
20 m apart. Each transect contained five traps, 3 m apart, for
a total of 15 pitfall traps in each collection period. A total of 120
samples were obtained with this method.