The Flour Beetles, Tribolium castaneum and Tribolium confusum

1975 ◽  
pp. 149-163
Author(s):  
Alexander Sokoloff
Keyword(s):  
Tribolium Castaneum ◽  
Tribolium Confusum ◽  
Flour Beetles

scholarly journals Inter- and intraspecific sexual discrimination in the flour beetles Tribolium castaneum and Tribolium confusum

Heredity ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 85 (2) ◽  
pp. 142-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
José M Serrano ◽  
Laureano Castro ◽  
Miguel A Toro ◽  
Carlos López-Fanjul
Keyword(s):  
Tribolium Castaneum ◽  
Tribolium Confusum ◽  
Sexual Discrimination ◽  
Flour Beetles

Interspecific Chemical Competition Between Tribolium castaneum and Tribolium confusum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) Reduces Fecundity and Hastens Development Time

2020 ◽  
Vol 113 (3) ◽  
pp. 216-222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marissa Bullock ◽  
Geoffrey Legault ◽  
Brett A Melbourne
Keyword(s):  
Tribolium Castaneum ◽  
Development Time ◽  
Reproductive Activity ◽  
Tribolium Confusum ◽  
Model Organisms ◽  
Flour Beetles ◽  
Laboratory Populations ◽  
History Of ◽  
Per Capita ◽  
Coleoptera Tenebrionidae

Abstract The flour beetles Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) and Tribolium confusum (du Val) are model organisms for studying the effects of intra- and interspecific competition. Both species are known to compete directly through egg cannibalism and indirectly through the density-dependent release of allelopathic chemicals. To better characterize these indirect interactions, recent work has focused on quantifying the per-capita effects of intraspecific chemical competition. However, the effects of interspecific chemical competition in this system have not previously been estimated. We used experimental microcosms to examine how interspecific chemical secretions affected the reproductive activity and development time of laboratory populations of T. castaneum and T. confusum. We created replicated habitats containing flour medium that had been occupied and chemically ‘conditioned’ by one of the two beetle species across a range of densities, then examined how beetles of the other species responded in terms of the number of eggs laid by females and, separately, the development time of offspring. We found that T. castaneum fecundity was reduced when beetles experienced flour conditioned by T. confusum. In contrast, fecundity of T. confusum was largely unaffected by flour conditioned by T. castaneum. Additionally, we found that interspecific conditioning decreased development times for beetles of both species, particularly the development of larvae to pupae. Our results indicate that interspecific chemical competition impacts the life history of Tribolium species and suggests that models incorporating chemical competition may more accurately describe the biology of flour beetle communities.

scholarly journals Rating knockdown of flour beetles after exposure to two insecticides as an indicator of mortality

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christos G. Athanassiou ◽  
Nickolas G. Kavallieratos ◽  
Frank H. Arthur ◽  
Christos T. Nakas
Keyword(s):  
Tribolium Castaneum ◽  
Concrete Surface ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Red Flour Beetle ◽  
Flour Beetle ◽  
Insecticidal Effect ◽  
Testing Period ◽  
Flour Beetles ◽  
Confused Flour Beetle ◽  
Contact Insecticides

AbstractKnockdown and mortality of adults of the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) and the confused flour beetle, Tribolium confusum Jacquelin du Val, were assessed after exposure to two contact insecticides, chlorfenapyr and cyfluthrin, on a concrete surface. Individuals were rated on a scale for knockdown of exposed adults according to their mobility from 1, representing immobilized adults to 5, representing normally moving (similar to the controls). Only cyfluthrin gave immediate knockdown. Adults were rated at 1, 3 and 7 days post-exposure. After the final assessment, adults were discarded and the same procedure was repeated for 5 consecutive weeks with new adults exposed on the same treated surfaces. Despite initial knockdown, many individuals did not eventually die after exposure to cyfluthrin. In contrast, adults exposed to chlorfenapyr were not initially knocked down after exposure but most died after 7 days. These trends were similar during the entire 5-week residual testing period. The storage of the treated dishes in illuminated or non-illuminated conditions did not affect the insecticidal effect of either insecticide. The results of the present study can be further implemented towards the design of a “lethality index” that can serve as a quick indicator of knockdown and mortality rates caused after exposure to insecticides.

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