Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-t5tsf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T14:37:27.820Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

SELECTION OF TERRESTRIAL GASTROPOD PREY BY CYCHRINE AND PTEROSTICHINE GROUND BEETLES (COLEOPTERA: CARABIDAE)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 May 2012

Scott C. Digweed
Scott C. Digweed
Affiliation:
Department of Entomology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E3
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

I examined the relative feeding preferences of five carabid beetle species for terrestrial gastropod prey. Scaphinotus marginatus Fischer, thought to be a snail specialist, discriminated among seven species of potential prey by size and species, with the slug Deroceras reticulatum (Müller) being the most preferred. Scaphinotus marginatus appears to use its elongated and narrowed mouthparts, head, and thorax to prey upon terrestrial snails without having to crush their shells. The relative feeding preferences of four pterostichine generalist predators (Pterostichus adstrictus Eschscholtz, P. pensylvanicus LeConte, P. protractus LeConte, and P. surgens LeConte) for two species of small snails [Discus cronkhitei (Newcomb) and Euconulus fulvus (Müller)] also were examined. Although all four carabids ate E. fulvus in varying proportions, only P. protractus consumed D. cronkhitei. I suggest that snail shell thickness and differing feeding preferences affect which snail species are eaten by these pterostichines.

Résumé

J’ai étudié les préférences alimentaires relatives pour certains gastropodes terrestres chez cinq espèces de carabes. Scaphinotus marginatus Fischer, réputé être un consommateur spécialiste de gastropodes, peut discriminer entre sept espèces de proies potentielles en fonction de leur taille et de leur nature spécifique, et manifeste une préférence pour la limace Deroceras reticulatum (Müller). Scaphinotus marginatus semble utiliser ses pièces buccales allongées et étroites, sa tête et son thorax pour attraper des gastropodes terrestres sans avoir à en écraser la coquille. Les préférences relatives de quatre carabes ptérostichinés généralistes (Pterostichus adstrictus Eschscholtz, P. pensylvanicus LeConte, P. protractus LeConte et P. surgens LeConte) pour deux espèces de petits gastropodes [Discus cronkhitei (Newcomb) et Euconulus fulvus (Müller)] ont également été examinées. Bien que les quatre carabes consomment des E. fulvus dans des proportions différentes, seul P. protractus consomme des D. cronkhitei. Je crois que l’épaisseur de la coquille des gastropodes et des préférences alimentaires variées déterminent quelles espèces de gastropodes sont consommées par ces carabes ptérostichinés.

[Traduit par la rédaction]

Type
Articles
Information
The Canadian Entomologist , Volume 125 , Issue 3 , June 1993 , pp. 463 - 472
Copyright
Copyright © Entomological Society of Canada 1993

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Allen, R.T. 1979. The occurrence and importance of ground beetles in agricultural and surrounding habitats. pp. 485–505 in Erwin, T.L., Ball, G.E., and Whitehead, D.R. (Eds.), Carabid Beetles: Their Evolution, Natural History, and Classification. Proceedings of the First International Symposium of Carabidology. Dr. W. Junk, The Hague. 635 pp.Google Scholar
Ball, G.E. 1960. Carabidae, Fascicle 4. pp. 55–210 in Arnett, R.H. (Ed.), The Beetles of the United States (a manual for identification). The Catholic University of America Press, Washington, DC. 1112 pp.Google Scholar
Boag, D.A. 1990. On the effectiveness of artificial shelters in the study of population attributes of small terrestrial gastropods. Canadian Journal of Zoology 68: 254–262.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brandmayr, P., and Brandmayr, T. Zetto. 1986. Food and feeding behaviour of some Licinus species (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Licinini). Monitore zoologico italiano 20: 171–181.Google Scholar
Davies, M. 1953. The contents of the crops of some British carabid beetles. Entomologist's Monthly Magazine 89: 18–23.Google Scholar
Dawson, N. 1965. A comparative study of the ecology of eight species of fenland Carabidae (Coleoptera). Journal of Animal Ecology 34: 299–314.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Digweed, S. 1993. Detection of mucus-producing prey by Carabus nemoralis Mueller and Scaphinotus marginatus Fischer (Coleoptera: Carabidae). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Alberta 39: 8–9. [Abstract.]Google Scholar
El Moursy, A.A., and Ball, G.E.. 1959. A study of the diagnostic characters of two North American species of the genus Diplocheila Brullé, with notes on their ecology (Carabidae: Licinini). Coleopterists Bulletin 13: 47–57.Google Scholar
Evans, M.E.G. 1965. An interpretation of gular size in some adult Coleoptera. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 44: 403–413.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Forbes, S.A. 1883. The food relations of the Carabidae and Coccinellidae. Illinois State Laboratory Natural History Bulletin 1: 33–64.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Forsythe, T.G. 1982. Feeding mechanisms of certain ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae). Coleopterists Bulletin 36: 26–73.Google Scholar
Fox, C.J.S., and MacLellan, C.R.. 1956. Some Carabidae and Staphylinidae shown to feed on a wireworm, Agriotes sputator (L.), by the precipitin test. The Canadian Entomologist 88: 228–231.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Frank, J.H. 1967 a. The insect predators of the pupal stage of the winter moth, Operophtera brumata (L.) (Lepidoptera: Hydriomenidae). Journal of Animal Ecology 36: 375–389.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Frank, J.H. 1967 b. A serological method used in the investigation of the predators of the pupal stage of the winter moth, Operophtera brumata (L.) (Hydriomenidae). Quaestiones entomologicae 3: 95–105.Google Scholar
Frank, J.H. 1971. Carabidae (Coleoptera) as predators of the red-backed cutworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in central Alberta. The Canadian Entomologist 103: 1039–1044.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goulet, H. 1974. Biology and relationships of Pterostichus adstrictus Eschscholtz and Pterostichus pensylvanicus LeConte (Coleoptera: Carabidae). Quaestiones entomologicae 10: 3–33.Google Scholar
Goulet, H. 1976. A method for rearing ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae). Coleopterists Bulletin 30: 33–36.Google Scholar
Gray, J.B., Kralka, R.A., and Samuel, W.M.. 1985. Rearing of eight species of terrestrial gastropods (Order Stylommatophora) under laboratory conditions. Canadian Journal of Zoology 63: 2474–2476.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Greene, A. 1975. Biology of five species of Cychrini (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in the steppe region of southeastern Washington. Melanderia 19: 1–43.Google Scholar
Hagley, E.A.C., Holliday, N.J., and Barber, D.R.. 1982. Laboratory studies of the food preferences of some orchard carabids (Coleoptera: Carabidae). The Canadian Entomologist 114: 431–437.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hengeveld, R. 1980 a. Qualitative and quantitative aspects of the food of ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae): A review. Netherlands Journal of Zoology 30: 555–563.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hengeveld, R. 1980 b. Polyphagy, oligophagy and food specialization in ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae). Netherlands Journal of Zoology 30: 564–584.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hengeveld, R. 1980 c. Food specialization in ground beetles: An ecological or a phylogenetic process? (Coleoptera: Carabidae). Netherlands Journal of Zoology 30: 585–594.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hengeveld, R. 1981. The evolutionary relevance of feeding habits of ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae). Entomologica scandinavica Supplementum 15: 305–315.Google Scholar
Kralka, R.A., and Samuel, W.M.. 1984. Experimental life cycle of Protostrongylus boughtoni (Nematoda: Metastrongyloidea), a lungworm of snowshoe hares, Lepus americanus. Canadian Journal of Zoology 62: 473–479.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Larochelle, A. 1972. Notes on the food of Cychrini (Coleoptera: Carabidae). Great Lakes Entomologist 5: 81–83.Google Scholar
Larochelle, A. 1990. The food of carabid beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae, including Cicindelinae). Fabreries, Supplément 5: 1–132.Google Scholar
Luff, M.L. 1974. Adult and larval feeding habits of Pterostichus madidus (F.) (Coleoptera: Carabidae). Journal of Natural History 8: 403–409.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Niemelä, J., Spence, J.R., and Spence, D.H.. 1992. Habitat associations and seasonal activity of ground-beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae) in central Alberta. The Canadian Entomologist 124: 521–540.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Orth, R.E., Moore, I., Fisher, T.W., and Legner, E.F.. 1975. A rove beetle, Ocypus olens, with potential for biological control of the brown garden snail, Helix aspersa, in California, including a key to the Nearctic species of Ocypus. The Canadian Entomologist 107: 1111–1116.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pilsbry, H.A. 1946. Land molluscs of North America (north of Mexico). Vol. II. Part 1. Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, Monographs 3: 1–520.Google Scholar
Pilsbry, H.A. 1948. Land molluscs of North America (north of Mexico). Vol. II. Part 2. Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, Monographs 3: 521–1113.Google Scholar
Platt, T.R., and Samuel, W.M.. 1978. Paralaphostrongylus odocoilei: Life cycle in experimentally infected cervids including the mule deer, Odocoileus h. hemionus. Experimental Parasitology 46: 336–338.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shough, W.W. 1940. The feeding of ground beetles. American Midland Naturalist 24: 336–344.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Snodgrass, R.E. 1935. Principles of Insect Morphology. McGraw-Hill, New York, NY. ix + 667 pp.Google Scholar
Spence, J.R. 1979. Riparian carabid guilds — a spontaneous question generator. pp. 525–537 in Erwin, T.L., Ball, G.E., and Whitehead, D.R. (Eds.), Carabid Beetles: Their Evolution, Natural History, and Classification. Proceedings of the First International Symposium of Carabidology. Dr. W. Junk, The Hague. 635 pp.Google Scholar
Thiele, H.U. 1977. Carabid Beetles in their Environments. Springer Verlag, Berlin. xvii + 369 pp.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tod, M.E. 1973. Notes on beetle predators of molluscs. The Entomologist 106: 196–201.Google Scholar
van Es, J., and Boag, D.A.. 1981. Terrestrial molluscs of central Alberta. Canadian Field-Naturalist 95: 75–79.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wheater, C.P. 1989. Prey detection by some predatory Coleoptera (Carabidae and Staphylinidae). Journal of Zoology (London) 218: 171–185.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zar, J.H. 1984. Biostatistical Analysis, 2nd ed. Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ. xiv + 718 pp.Google Scholar