Species Composition of Carrion Beetles in a Mixed-Oak Forest Paul P
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Species Composition of Carrion Beetles in a Mixed-Oak Forest Paul P. Shubeck Montclair State College, Upper Montclair, N .J. 07043 Norman M. Downie Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana* Rupert L. Wenzel Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, Illinois· Stewart B. Peck Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Abstract. A total of 7059 carrion beetles was collected in Methods Hutcheson Memorial Forest from early April to late November The collecting station was located about 70 meters in 1975. Represented were 68 species plus 2 sub-families and 1 southeast of the weather instrument shelter which is lo genus which could not be classified to species. The latter were cated at the north edge of the forest. The beetles were treated as species. Over 99% of the individuals belong to 6 fami lies: Silphidae; Staphylinidae; Nitidulidae; Histeridae; Leiodi trapped in four No. 10 (3.78 I) food cans, each of which dae; and Scarabaeidae. Silphidae was the most important fami was concealed in a wooden box having 1.27 cm wire ly, accounting for over 55% of all beetles collected. Silpha mesh at the top and a rain cover above that. These traps noveboracensis was the most abundant individual species mak have been described elsewhere (Shubeck, 1976) and de ing up 28.80% of all beetles and S. inaequa/is the second most tailed instructions have been duplicated and are avail abundant making up 10.71 % of all Coleoptera. A species list by able upon request from the senior author. The traps.were rank order for the top 15 species (including two higher taxa) in situated in a circle on the forest floor so that there was a dicated that these species account for over 91 % of all beetles north, an east, a south, and west trap along the arc of a collected. circle having a radius of 5 meters. The north and south Introduction traps were baited with fish while the east and west traps Fortunate is the ecologist who has available to him were baited with chicken legs (drumsticks). Carrion bait suitable species lists, covering his taxonomic area of in in each trap consisted of one ••fresh" fish or chicken leg terest, for the habitat in which he conducts his studies. in a styrofoam cup (.258 1) and one ••stale'' fish or chick Such has not been the case for the senior author of this en leg in a styrofoam cup (.258 1). These traps were ini paper who has conducted field studies on carrion beetles tially baited with ••fresh" carrion on the first Saturday of in a mixed-oak forest for more than a decade. Although April, 1975 and on the second Saturday (when the first it is true that the most conspicuous and abundant beetles collection was made) ••fresh'' carrion was added to the found in the carrion microsere are Silphidae (which are ••stale" carrion. Each trap was serviced once per week, not difficult to identify), the species within the other throughout the study, at which time the oldest carrion families usually require the assistance of specialists for (and cup) was replaced with fresh carrion (and cup), and identification. The senior author was very fortunate to all beetles were collected and preserved in jars contain be able to obtain the services of his three co-authors to ing 70% alcohol. At all times, therefore, there were two identify species from several difficult families. Dr. Nor traps baited with fish, each having a fish I-7 days old man M. Downie of Purdue University identified all Sta (fresh) and one 8-14 days old (stale), and two traps bait phylinidae and several other difficult taxa. Dr. Rupert L. ed with chicken legs, each having a leg l-7 days old and Wenzel of the Field Museum of Natural History, Chica one 8-14 days old. This technique (Pirone, 1974) resulted go, identified all Histeridae, and Dr) Stewart B. Peck of in the presence of fairly uniformly ••attractive" carrion Carleton U niv~rsit y, Canada, identified all Leiodidae. on a continual basis. The weight of eac.h fish (smelt) and Six additional specialists were helpful in identifying or each chicken leg was about 90 grams. On occasion fresh confirming other taxa, and their names are given in the smelt was not available and packaged frozen smelt Acknowledgements. The books and papers that were (whole) was substituted. The latter were about I /3 the especially helpful in identifying the species were: Arnett size of the former so when used, three small fish (about ( 1963), Dillon and Dillon ( l 961 ), Leng ( l 920), Leonard 30 grams each) were substituted. ( 1928), Moore and Legner ( I 975), Parsons ( l 943), Payne and Crossley (1966), Peck (1973), Vaurie (1955), Results and Discussion and Wenzel (1944). A total of 7059 beetles was collected in the four car The specific purpose of this study was to determine all rion-baited traps during the months of April through species of Coleoptera which are attracted to carrion in a November in 1975 (Table I). Although these beetles are New Jersey mixed-oak forest. The study was conducted representatives of 71 species within 12 families, over 99% in Hutcheson Memorial Forest (HMF) from the first of the individuals belong to 6 families which are desig Saturday in April to the last Saturday in November in nated the major families of carrion beetles in Hutcheson 1975. Memorial Forest. Of the remaining families, 2 are iden- *Present Address: 505 Lingle Terrace, Lafayette, Indiana 47901 12 Table 1. List of families of order Coleoptera showing for each taken during the first and last quarter of study (Table 2). family the number of individuals trapped and the percentage of the Nicrophorus tomentosus was the fifth most abundant order this represents, and also the number of species (by family) member of this family and ranked ninth among all Co and the percentage of all Coleoptera species that this represents. leoptera (Table 2). This species was most abundant in lndlvlduala Specie• early summer and then gradually decreased in numbers Family No. %of all No. %of al through the fall. The remaining silphids, Necrodes surin beetle• beellea amensis and Nicrophorus pustulatus, together account• ed for less than 1% of the family (Table 2). These two Silphidae 3918 55.50 7 9.86 species were also present in Pirone's study ( 1974) where Staphyl in idae 1554 22.015 26 36.62 their numbers were also very small. N itidu lidae 705 9.99 5 7.04 STAPHYLINIDAE Histeridae 397 5.62 8 11.27 The second largest family of beetles collected was Sta phylinidae-the rove beetles. The 1554 specimens made Leiodidae 277 3.925 8 11.27 up 22 .0 I% of all beetles collected and the 26 species Scarabaeidae 184 2.61 6 8.45 provided the greatest diversity of species of any family Hydrophilidae 12 .17 3 4.22 more than 3 times the number of Histeridae, or Leiodi Dermestidae 5 .07 1 1.41 dae, which had 8 species each (Table I). It must be noted Curcu I ion idae 3 .04 3 4.22 that Staphylinidae is a very difficult family to work with, taxonomically, and three of the 26 ''species" are actually Carabidae 2 .03 2 2.82 higher taxa (Aleochara spp., Aleocharinae, and Oma• Ciidae 1 .015 1 1.41 liinae). Aleochara spp. accounted for over 29% of all Mycetophagidae 1 .015 1 1.41 rove beetles, and over 6% of all Coleoptera (Table 2). TOTALS 7059 100.00 71 100.00 This •·species'' was sufficiently abundant to rank number 5 among all species (Table 3). Five additional tified as minor families and 4 are clearly accidental fam• staphylinid species were sufficiently abundant for each ilies. Individual numbers of species collected are given in of them to comprise a minimum of 5% of the family and Table 2. These data show numbers collected during four minimum of l % of Coleoptera. The species, and rank periods of time: April and May; June and July; August order within Coleoptera are as follows: Ontholestes cin and September; October and November. gulatus, 7; Tachinus luridus, 10; Creophilus maxillosus, SILPHIDAE 13; Aleocharinae, 14; and T. fimbriatus, 15 (Table 3). The most important major family of beetles in the car• According to Arnett ( 1963), sta phyl in ids are predaceous rion microsere studied was Silphidae-the large carrion on other arthropods present in the carrion community. beetles (Table 2). The 3918 individuals comprised 55 .5% NITIDULIDAE of all Coleoptera. Of the 7 species, Silpha noveboracen The third largest family of beetles was Nitidulidae sis was the most abundant, accounting for over 51 % of the sap beetles (Table 2). The 705 specimens accounted the family and over 28% of all Coleoptera, making it the for 9 .99% of all beetles and the 5 species comprised most abundant beetle collected (Table 3). This species 7 .04% of all species collected. Omosita colon was the was taken in small numbers in April and May and in most important species, accounting for virfually 98% of large numbers during June and July. The second most the family and ranking third among all species collected abundant silphid, Silpha inaequalis, was also the second in this study (Table 3). It was collected during each of most abundant beetle, making up over 10% of all beetles the 8 months of the study. Omosita discoidea, the second collected (Table 3). This species was often found ~O· most abundant nitidulid, is found in Europe, Asia, Alas• gether with S. noveboracensis and was taken only during ka, western Canada and the USA, and since 1930, has April through July when S.