Predatory behavior of two species of ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) towards juvenile salamanders (Plethodon vehiculum)

1988 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 599-604 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Ovaska ◽  
M. A. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Antipredator Behavior ◽  
Ground Beetle ◽  
Ground Beetles ◽  
Predatory Behavior ◽  
Carabid Beetles ◽  
Size Classes ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Pterostichus Melanarius

Carabid beetles are suspected to prey on terrestrial salamanders, but no records of this exist. We examined the behavior of two species of ground beetle (Scaphinotus angusticollis and Pterostichus melanarius) towards juvenile western red-backed salamanders (Plethodon vehiculum) in staged laboratory encounters. We predicted that the beetles would show more aggression towards small (snout–vent length (SVL) ≤30 mm) than large (30 < SVL ≤ 40 mm) juvenile salamanders, as small individuals frequently had missing tails (indicating predation) in the field. Our additional objective was to examine antipredator behavior of P. vehiculum. Scaphinotus angusticollis approached, bit, and climbed on the salamanders more frequently than P. melanarius did, but neither beetle behaved differently towards small and large salamanders. Small juveniles jerked away more frequently than larger individuals when bitten by P. melanarius and when climbed on by S. angusticollis, but otherwise the behavior of salamanders of the two size classes did not differ. After overnight encounters, the injuries on the salamanders included missing toes and tail tips and skin lacerations. Scaphinotus angusticollis consumed an additional six P. vehiculum, and P. melanarius consumed three. The damage was unrelated to the size (SVL) of the salamanders, but all individuals consumed were among the smallest we tested. We suggest that in terms of both its morphology and its behavior, S. angusticollis is better suited than P. melanarius to prey on P. vehiculum, and probably preys on hatchlings in the wild.

scholarly journals Ground beetles (Carabidae) of field margin habitats

Biologia ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 75 (10) ◽  
pp. 1631-1641
Author(s):  
Janina Bennewicz ◽  
Tadeusz Barczak
Keyword(s):  
Conservation Status ◽  
Ground Beetle ◽  
Abundant Species ◽  
Ground Beetles ◽  
Field Margin ◽  
Poecilus Cupreus ◽  
The Status ◽  
Beetle Assemblages ◽  
Anchomenus Dorsalis ◽  
Pterostichus Melanarius

Abstract The aim of this study was to identify the role of field margin habitats in preserving the diversity and abundance of ground beetle assemblages, including potentially entomophagous species and those with conservation status in Poland. Research material was collected in 2006–2007 in four types of margin habitats – a forest, bushes, ditches and in two arable fields. Insects were captured into pitfalls, without preservation liquid or bait added to the traps. Traps were inspected twice a week, between May and August, and one sample was a weekly capture. In field margin habitats the most abundant species were Limodromus assimilis, Anchomenus dorsalis, Pterostichus melanarius and Carabus auratus. A lower abundance of species was noted on fields, with dominant Poecilus cupreus and P. melanarius. The group of zoophagous carabids found in our study includes 30 species from field margin habitats, i.e. 37.5% of all captured Carabidae taxa and 58.3% of all specimens. The share of aphidophagous species was 84.9% among bushes, 86.7% near ditches, and 88.0% in the forest habitat. Several species captured during the study are under protection in Poland. These include the partly protected Carabus convexus, which also has the status of near threatened species, the partly protected Calosoma auropunctatum, and Broscus cephalotes. Considering all the investigated field margin habitats, ground beetles were most numerous in the oak-hornbeam habitat, defined as bushes, formed predominantly by Prunus spinosa, Crataegus leavigata, Sambucus nigra and Rosa canina. Thus, this habitat was the most important reservoir/refugium for the ground beetles.

THE TOXICITY OF INSECTICIDES BY CONTACT AND SOIL TREATMENT TO TWO SPECIES OF GROUND BEETLES (COLEOPTERA: CARABIDAE)

1975 ◽  
Vol 107 (5) ◽  
pp. 529-532 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. D. Tomlin
Keyword(s):  
Ground Beetles ◽  
Soil Treatment ◽  
Carabid Beetles ◽  
Light Traps ◽  
Spray Tower ◽  
Pest Insects ◽  
Pterostichus Melanarius ◽  
Soil Insecticides ◽  
Serial Dilutions

AbstractAdults of predatory carabid beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) of the species Stenolophus comma Fabricius field-collected from light traps were bioassayed against several soil insecticides along with laboratory reared larvae of the predatory carabid Pterostichus melanarius Illiger. Adult S. comma beetles were exposed to serial dilutions of insecticides using a Potter spray tower; larvae of P. melanarius were exposed to insecticidally treated Plainfield sand. Fensulfothion, phorate, methomyl, carbofuran, and O,O-diethyl-S(tertbutylthio) methyl phosphorodithioate (Counter®) proved to be highly toxic to adult S. comma with a 0.01% solution causing mortalities > 65%. In the bioassay of P. melanarius larvae, Counter®, phorate, heptachlor, aldrin, and O-(2-chloro-1-(2,5-dichlorophenyl)vinyl) O-methyl ethylphosphonothioate (WL 24073) produced mortalities > 75% at 0.1 p.p.m. in Plainfield sand. The Pterostichus larvae which are probably important as predators of pest insects appear quite susceptible to several important soil insecticides. Chlorfenvinphos, leptophos, and p,p′-DDT were fairly innocuous to both adults and larvae.

GROUND BEETLES (COLEOPTERA: CARABIDAE) AS PREDATORS OF THE CODLING MOTH, CYDIA POMONELLA (L.) (LEPIDOPTERA: TORTRICIDAE)

1988 ◽  
Vol 120 (10) ◽  
pp. 917-925 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elmer A.C. Hagley ◽  
W.R. Allen
Keyword(s):  
Ground Beetle ◽  
Cydia Pomonella ◽  
Codling Moth ◽  
Ground Beetles ◽  
Pitfall Traps ◽  
Apple Trees ◽  
Pterostichus Melanarius ◽  
Amara Aenea

AbstractPterostichus melanarius Ill. was the predominant ground beetle recovered in pitfall traps in three blocks of apple trees at Jordan Station, Ont. In one block, C, the number of mature fifth-instar larvae of Cydia pomonella (L.) seeking overwintering sites was related significantly (r2 = 0.5476, P < 0.05) to the number of P. melanarius caught, but was not related significantly (r2 = 0.1181, P > 0.10) to the proportion of beetles that were serologically positive. The proportion of larvae pupating also was not related significantly (r2 = 0.2014, P > 0.10) to the number of P. melanarius. The total number of all predators caught was related significantly (r2 = 0.4490, P < 0.05) to the number of larvae present, but the proportion of larvae that pupated was not related significantly (r2 = 0.3606, P > 0.05) to the total number of predators.In block A, in 1983–1985, the number of mature larvae of C. pomonella seeking overwintering sites was not related significantly (r2 = 0.3763, 0.3619, and 0.5042, P > 0.05, respectively) to the number of P. melanarius taken in pitfall traps. In both blocks A and B, the number of serologically positive beetles was not related significantly (r2 = 0.3824 and 0.7921, P > 0.10, respectively) to the number of larvae seeking overwintering sites.Amara aenea DeG., Anisodactylus sanctaecrucis F., Bembidion quadrimaculatum oppositum Say, Clivinia impressifrons LeC., Diplochaeila impressicolis (Dej.), Harpalus aeneus F., and Pterostichus chalcites Say also gave positive serological reactions to the antiserum against C. pomonella.The occurrence of other species of Lepidoptera did not affect significantly the results obtained for C. pomonella.

scholarly journals Do properties and species of weed seeds affect their consumption by carabid beetles?

2020 ◽  
Vol 66 (Suppl.) ◽  
pp. 37-48
Author(s):  
Hana Foffová ◽  
David A. Bohan ◽  
Pavel Saska
Keyword(s):  
Seed Coat ◽  
Selection Process ◽  
Ground Beetle ◽  
Taraxacum Officinale ◽  
Carabid Beetles ◽  
Seed Selection ◽  
Seed Predators ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Anchomenus Dorsalis ◽  
Pterostichus Melanarius

Seed predators are an integral part of agroecosystems, where they can reduce the populations of weeds. The preference of predators for seeds and the observed predation rate may be affected by the properties of seeds (e.g. taxonomy, chemical composition, physical defence). In this work, we focused on seed consumption of Taraxacum officinale Web. and Stellaria media (L.) Vill., from France and the Czech Republic, by three species of ground beetle that are seed predators (Coleoptera: Carabidae): Poecilus cupreus (Linnaeus), Pterostichus melanarius (Illiger) and Anchomenus dorsalis (Pontoppidan). The seed species were offered in arenas, simultaneously, under three different experimental manipulations of moisture and seed coat conditions: dry and intact, water-imbibed and intact, and water-imbibed with a damaged seed coat. Seed consumption was checked after 0.5, 1, 2, 24, and 48 hours of exposure. Anchomenus dorsalis largely refused to feed on seeds. Taraxacum officinale seeds with damaged coats were most preferred by the remaining two species of carabids. The consumption by P. cupreus of T. officinale seeds with damaged coats increased from 0.18 % after 0.5 hours to 83.83 % after 48 hours, and by P. melanarius from 13.76 % after 0.5 hours to 76.77 % after 48 hours. Seeds of S. media were consumed less. There was a significant difference in consumption rates due to the country of origin of the seeds, but there were no differences between the carabid sexes. That carabids preferred water-imbibed and damaged seeds may suggest an involvement of olfactory clues in the seed selection process, and/or shorter seed-handling times.

NOTES ON THE BIOLOGY AND REARING OF TWO SPECIES OF GROUND BEETLES, PTEROSTICHUS MELANARIUS AND HARPALUS PENSYLVANICUS (COLEOPTERA: CARABIDAE)

1975 ◽  
Vol 107 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan D. Tomlin
Keyword(s):  
Mass Culture ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Mating Behaviour ◽  
Culture Method ◽  
Ground Beetles ◽  
Oviposition Rate ◽  
Carabid Beetles ◽  
Rearing Method ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Pterostichus Melanarius

AbstractAdult carabid beetles of the species Harpalus pensylvanicus (DeGeer) and Pterostichus melanarius (Illiger) were collected from a cultivated field near London, Ont., and brought into the laboratory for observation and mass culture in terraria; the culture method is described. Both species oviposited successfully in the laboratory; P. melanarius produced as many as 134 eggs/female over a 6-month period, whereas H. pensylvanicus deposited only about 10 eggs/female under similar conditions. However, percentage emergence in Harpalus was substantially higher (62.6) than with Pterostichus (36.8 and 45.7). Large numbers of first- and second-instar P. melanarius larvae may be obtained by using the rearing method described. The low oviposition rate of H. pensylvanicus made large-scale rearing of this species difficult.Observations are made on the mating behaviour and adult parasitization by horsehair worms (Nematomorpha) of Pterostichus.

Effects of crop rotation and genetically modified herbicide-tolerant corn on ground beetle diversity, community structure, and activity density

2010 ◽  
Vol 142 (2) ◽  
pp. 143-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Bourassa ◽  
H.A. Cárcamo ◽  
J.R. Spence ◽  
R.E. Blackshaw ◽  
K. Floate
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Weed Management ◽  
Genetically Modified ◽  
Ground Beetle ◽  
Ground Beetles ◽  
Weed Density ◽  
Activity Density ◽  
Herbicide Tolerant ◽  
Pterostichus Melanarius ◽  
Structure And Activity

AbstractGround beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) were sampled in conventional and genetically modified herbicide-tolerant (GMHT) corn, Zea mays L. (Poaceae), planted under rotation with canola, Brassica L. (Brassicaceae), or continuously cropped corn to investigate the influence of corn variety and rotation on the structure of carabid assemblages. Corn variety, cultivation regime, and their interaction all influenced overall carabid activity density. Weed management associated with corn variety influenced the activity density of a few carabid species and this was attributed to changes in vegetation. Some smaller bodied carabids such as Bembidion quadrimaculatum L. were less abundant in GMHT plots, probably because weed density was higher in midseason, but the opposite was observed for larger bodied carabids such as Pterostichus melanarius (Illiger). Overall, rotating corn with canola had a stronger effect on carabid community structure than did corn variety. We suggest that GMHT corn has little impact on the overall carabid fauna but may influence the activity of certain species through effects on the weed community.

Long-termed changes in ground beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) assemblages in a field treated by organic fertilizers

Biologia ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 63 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jana Porhajašová ◽  
Vladimír Petřvalský ◽  
Zbyšek Šustek ◽  
Jana Urminská ◽  
Peter Ondrišík ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spring Barley ◽  
Ground Beetle ◽  
Ground Beetles ◽  
Organic Fertilizers ◽  
Poecilus Cupreus ◽  
Local Maxima ◽  
Starting Values ◽  
Anchomenus Dorsalis ◽  
Stable Manure ◽  
Pterostichus Melanarius

AbstractIn 2001–2006, ground beetles were pitfall-trapped in a temperate lowland area of South Slovakia in an experimental field divided in five plots fertilized by four different doses of manure or biosludge (25 t stable manure ha−1, 50 t biosludge ha−1, 50 t stable manure ha−1, 100 t biosludge ha−1 and without fertilization). The field was subsequently sown by spring barley, sugar beat, maize, sunflower, sugar beat and maize. The ground beetle assemblage consisted of 31 species, but only five species predominated: Pseudoophonus rufipes representing 82.6% of individuals and five species (Poecilus cupreus, Carabus scheidleri, Calathus fuscipes, Trechus quadristriatus, Pterostichus melanarius, Anchomenus dorsalis, Dolichus halensis) representing together 14.5% of individuals. Pseudophonus rufipes represented 81.7% of dry biomass and three species (Carabus scheidleri, Poecilus cupreus Pterostichus melanarius) 15.9% of biomass. There was no significant influence of organic fertilizing on assemblage structure. During the investigation, the number of individuals and their biomass increased in all plots until 2003 and than dropped to the starting values. The culmination of 2003 was preceded by a warmer and more humid season in 2002. After a cold and dry season of 2003 abundance decreased approximately to starting values. Simultaneously, the local maxima and minima of occurrence of ground beetles in individual plots shifted independently on the doses of organic material. At the same time, number of occurring species slightly decreased. The observed changes obviously represent part of long-termed fluctuations in wider surroundings.

FARMING AND GROUND BEETLES: EFFECTS OF AGRONOMIC PRACTICE ON POPULATIONS AND COMMUNITY STRUCTURE

1995 ◽  
Vol 127 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Héctor A. Cárcamo ◽  
Jari K. Niemalä ◽  
John R. Spence
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Ground Beetle ◽  
Ground Beetles ◽  
Reduced Tillage ◽  
Biological Traits ◽  
Agricultural Practice ◽  
Pitfall Traps ◽  
Crop Type ◽  
Pterostichus Melanarius ◽  
Field Plots

AbstractWe studied the effects of agricultural practice on ground beetles, using pitfall traps in field plots and in an uncultivated meadow near Edmonton, Alberta. Ground beetle abundance and species richness were higher in plots operated under an organic farming regime than in those under a chemical regime, but neither crop type [barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), faba bean (Vicia faba L.), barley-pea (Pisum sativum L.) intercrop] nor crop rotation had an effect. Reduced tillage did not significantly change overall carabid activity or species richness but species differed in their response to tillage treatments. The carabid assemblage from an uncultivated field differed conspicuously from assemblages in the crops and fescue. Carabid abundance was highest in the meadow and the fauna was dominated by the exotic species Pterostichus melanarius Illiger. Effects of agronomic practice on carabid assemblages are complex, reflecting the interaction of biological traits of particular species and the combination of agronomic treatments applied.

scholarly journals Effect of plant protection on assemblages of carabid beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae) in beetroot crops in four-year rotation

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agnieszka Kosewska ◽  
Katarzyna Nijak ◽  
Mariusz Nietupski ◽  
Renata Kędzior
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Plant Protection ◽  
Ground Beetle ◽  
Plant Protection Products ◽  
Ground Beetles ◽  
Chemical Plant ◽  
Carabid Beetles ◽  
Arable Fields ◽  
Set Up ◽  
The Impact

Ground beetles (Col., Carabidae) are common predators in agrocenoses. A number of plant pests occurring on arable fields become their feed. Therefore, they contribute to a natural reduction of the occurrence of pests. In addition, they are well-known bioindicators used, among others to determine the state of the habitats and the impact of human activity on entomofauna. In the fields, the use of chemical plant protection products is a very controversial activity. The aim of the study was to investigate assemblages of ground beetles occupying conventional and organic sugar beetroot crops. Therefore, to determine the impact of the application of pesticides on the assemblages of these useful beetles was made. The study was conducted at the Agricultural Experimental Station in Winna Góra near Środa Wielkopolska in Poland from May till September of 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016. The experiment was carried out in the field with organic crop of sugar beet, and in the crop, for which an integrated plant protection programme was planned. The area of each field was 0.5 ha. Modified Barber traps were used to catch insects. On each of the selected fields 10 pitfalls were set up, which were emptied every 14 days. Within 4 years of the study a total of 11865 specimens belonging to 52 ground beetle species were recorded. 5582 specimens belonging to 50 species and 6283 specimens belonging to 46 species were caught in the fields under chemical protection and organic, respectively. On a multiannual scale, there were no statistically significant differences in the number of individuals and species of Carabidae on conventional and organic fields. Fluctuation in ground beetles abundance and species richness were observed dependent on the year of study but not of the treatment. Harpalus rufipes was the most represented species in all fields. The main conclusion is that using chemical plant protection on a multiannual scale does not adversely affect the number and species richness of ground beetles.

DISPERSAL OF GROUND BEETLES (COLEOPTERA: CARABIDAE) ON SOIL SURFACE

1965 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 465-473 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Rivard
Keyword(s):  
Ground Beetle ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Ground Beetles ◽  
Cereal Crops ◽  
Pitfall Traps ◽  
Beetle Species ◽  
Dispersal Rate ◽  
Pterostichus Melanarius

Marked adults and pitfall traps were used to study the dispersal on soil surface of four ground beetle species. Compared recaptures of Pterostichus melanarius Ill. and Harpalus erraticus Say released into two different plots indicated that carabids disperse more rapidly in cultivated than in cereal crops and that males of both species are usually more active than females. No difference, however, in the activity and dispersal rate could be established between sexes for H. compar Lec. and H. pennsylvanicus DeG. Each of the three following species tended to disperse in a different direction: P. melanarius toward the southwest, H. compar toward the northwest, and H. pennsylvanicus toward the northeast. The relatively high proportion of recoveries suggests also considerable wandering movements of the beetles inside the plots.

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