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Pdf) Species 43: 104–117 Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 110(3), 2017, 269–275 doi: 10.1093/aesa/saw094 Advance Access Publication Date: 10 January 2017 Research Research article Beetles (Insecta: Coleoptera) Associated With the Plains Pocket Gopher, Geomys bursarius (Mammalia: Rodentia: Geomyidae), in Indiana Gareth S. Powell,1,2 R. Michael Brattain,3 and Jennifer M. Zaspel1 Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/aesa/article/110/3/269/2888452 by guest on 28 September 2021 1Department of Entomology, Purdue University, 901 West State St., West Lafayette, IN 47907 ([email protected]; jzaspel@purdue. edu), 2Corresponding author, [email protected], and 3505 Lingle Terrace, Lafayette, IN 47901 ([email protected]) Subject Editor: Michael Caterino Received 23 March 2016; Editorial decision 21 November 2016 Abstract The beetle (Insecta: Coleoptera) fauna associated with the underground burrow systems of the plains pocket go- pher, Geomys bursarius (Shaw) (Mammalia: Rodentia: Geomyidae), is reported from one of Indiana’s primary conservation zones, Kankakee Sands, for the first time. Pitfall traps baited with pig dung were placed into active burrow systems and routinely checked from February 2014 to January 2015. A total of 26 species of Coleoptera were found in the burrow systems. We summarize phenological data for the most commonly collected species. Also, a complete checklist of burrow-inhabiting beetles is provided. Key words: obligate, Scarabaeidae, Histeridae, Staphylinidae, inquiline The Efroymson Restoration at Kankakee Sands is one of the largest within the underground burrow systems of the plains pocket gopher. prairie restorations east of the Mississippi River (7,800þ acres), lo- The burrows, which are kept isolated from the surface, resemble a cated on the far western boarder of northern Indiana (Nature cave system in which the gopher’s activities support a mostly closed Conservancy 2016). Historically, the areas in northern Illinois and ecosystem of organisms. The beetles and flies tend to inhabit the nest Indiana were composed of an estimated 400,000 to 1 million acres and fecal chambers while the cave crickets tend to inhabit the burrow of swamps, savannas, prairies, and forests known as the Grand runways (Thorne and Anderson 1990). In an effort to characterize the Kankakee Marsh. Beaver Lake, which covered a significant area in biodiversity associated with this system, insects were surveyed across what is currently known as Kankakee Sands Preserve, was drained an 11-mo period. Here, we document the beetle fauna living within a over several decades at the end of the 1800s. By 1917, the Kankakee sampling of burrows at the Kankakee Sands, Newton County, IN. River was ditched and straightened on the Indiana side, and the marsh itself was eliminated (McDowell et al. 1983, Nature Conservancy Materials and Methods 2016). Today, the Kankakee Sands site is commonly referred to as a “prairie peninsula,” located between the Kankakee and Iroquois River A population of plains pocket gophers was identified in an accessible basins. It is composed of large remnants of sand prairie, herbaceous restoration prairie in Newton County, IN. The specific field sites wetland, black oak barrens, and pine oak flat woods; these and other chosen were fire-managed several weeks before trapping was to be- natural areas are managed by the Indiana Department of Natural gin. This burning allowed the Geomys “push-ups,” which are small Resources (IDNR) and is an important conservation zone in the piles of sand created on the ground surface when a gopher is exca- Central Tallgrass Prairie Ecoregion (Nature Conservancy 2012). vating a fresh tunnel, to be more easily identified (Fig. 1A). These The hydric zones in this restoration range from emergent wetlands piles of sand bury plant life and then dry, first covering existing to small sand dunes (Nature Conservancy 2012). This area resides be- plant growth, leaving bare earth that can be discerned easily, but tween three prairie remnants, a strategy that was implemented to pro- eventually giving rise to new growth and in some cases even in- tect other areas from further fragmentation (Nature Conservancy creased growth. These piles eventually flatten back out and become 2012). The remaining prairie ecosystem is a small remnant of what it undiscernible amongst the tall grasses. The mounds show evidence once was, much having been grazed and cultivated by early settlers. of recent rainfall providing a visual gauge for the most recent under- Consequently, the Kankakee Sands restoration area provides habitat ground activity. A series of these fresh piles of sand in a row are in- for many uncommon and rare species for the area, including the plains dicative of a new tunnel or run being developed below the surface. pocket gopher, Geomys bursarius (Shaw). This species is geographi- As the year progressed, vegetation grew back in and the fresh “push- cally limited primarily to this area in Indiana (Quinn et al. 2010). A va- ups” became very hard to locate; it became imperative to adequately riety of insect inquilines (mainly beetles, cave crickets, and flies) live mark trap locations to allow for retrieval (Fig. 1B). VC The Authors 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: [email protected] 269 270 Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 2017, Vol. 110, No. 3 Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/aesa/article/110/3/269/2888452 by guest on 28 September 2021 Fig. 1. Habitat sampled with Geomys push-ups present. (A) May 2014, (B) September 2014. Methods for locating active burrows and removing the gopher With the vertical hole created bisecting an active tunnel, Victor follow Skelley (1992). A long, thin piece of metal, usually a 2-ft-long Easy-set Gopher Traps were set on either side, and then the vertical flathead screwdriver, was thrust into the ground between two re- shaft covered with a wooden board as to keep the subterranean cently created sand piles. A difference in resistance can be felt when qualities of the system intact. Rodent traps were checked the follow- the screwdriver breaks through the top of a tunnel and moves ing day; any gophers were collected, frozen, and then deposited in through the open area before hitting the more compact floor. A hole the Purdue University Vertebrate Collection. was dug straight down to the level of the tunnel floor, exerting con- Once the gopher was removed, a pitfall trap was placed in the siderable effort not to collapse the sides and keep the tunnel intact. center of the open portion of the tunnel. Plastic cups, 4 inches in Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 2017, Vol. 110, No. 3 271 Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/aesa/article/110/3/269/2888452 by guest on 28 September 2021 Fig. 2. Depiction of baited pitfall trap placed into pocket gopher burrow system. Pitfall cup placed at burrow level, dung bait suspended above preservative, wooden cover board over hole and sealed with excavated sand. diameter, were filled part-way with ethylene glycol and placed with Suite version 4.2 software (Fig. 3). Data were compiled for each beetle the rim of the cup below the surrounding sand level. A small plastic species and phenology charts were created using the package “ggplot” container filled with moistened pig feces was suspended above the (Wickham, 2009) in RStudio v.0.99.879 (RStudio Team, 2016). Trap cup using wire (Fig. 2). These traps were serviced between a few catch data were averaged per day for each trapping period for each days and a few weeks after placement, depending on weather and species. These values were then pooled for each month, giving a single travel schedules. Shorter trapping periods were desired due to the value of total collected specimens of each species per month. This is vi- common behavior of the gophers to “back fill” disturbed tunnels. sualized for the nine most commonly collected species of beetle along This was observed most commonly in systems where the gopher was with the total Coleoptera catch (Fig. 4). not trapped out, but also occasionally in systems where one mam- Representatives of most beetle taxa, along with all nontarget ar- mal was removed. In these cases, it is possible that either another in- thropods, were deposited into the Purdue Entomology Research dividual was also active in that system, or, once the occupant was Collection (PERC), with select specimens covering most commonly removed, another found and colonized the system. found taxa retained by the authors. Representatives of the rove bee- Pitfall traps were active from February 2014 until January 2015. tles were deposited to the Field Museum of Natural History Trap placement varied based on recent gopher activity that was ob- (FMNH), and representatives of the scarab beetles were deposited in served. In general, traps were active at all times during the sampling the Florida State Collection of Arthropods (FSCA). period. However, the number of traps varied from six to ten due to availability of resources and current gopher activity. Collecting per- Results and Discussion mits issued for the removal of the mammals limited the number that were taken and also provided a period of time during the summer A total of 885 individual adult beetles were collected in total with where no gopher could be killed; this was done to limit the effect on baited pitfall traps (Table 1). Also collected, but not included in the the reproductive activity period of the gophers. These measures analysis, were several hundred true flies (Diptera) and camel crickets were taken so that the study as a whole did not impact the Geomys (Orthoptera: Rhaphidophoridae) (data not shown here). All population inhabiting the property. Coleoptera collected are presented here; however, it is likely many Occasionally pitfall traps were buried in sand but samples could species, namely, members of the families Carabidae, Monotomidae, be recovered using a floatation method.
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