Effect of forest removal on the abundance of the endangered American burying beetle, Nicrophorus americanus (Coleoptera: Silphidae)

We test the hypothesis that the decline of the endangered American burying beetle (Nicrophorus americanus) from over 90% of its original range is the result of habitat loss and fragmentation of eastern North America. Forest removal at a site in southeastern Oklahoma known to have a significant population of N. americanus gave us a unique opportunity to test this hypothesis. At the local scale of this experiment, N. americanus declined significantly after forest removal while beetle numbers at adjacent forested plots did not change. Our results indicate that local disturbances such as forest removal, if occurring across relatively broad spatial scales, can cause wholesale geographic range collapse in this species.     

Species packing and temperature dependent competition among burying beetles (Silphidae, Nicrophorus)

Abstract. 1. Burying beetles are carrion feeders that specialize on small carcasses. We investigated interactions among congeners at two sites in Michigan, U.S.A., that differ in both number and relative proportion of species.
2. Intra- and interspecific competition for carcasses is intense. The majority of carcasses are found within 24 h of their placement.
3. Competition between N.arbicollis and N.defodiens is temperature dependent. N.orbicollis can displace N.defodiens on single carcasses, but requires warm temperatures to find the carcasses. Cool weather therefore serves as a refuge for N.defadiens .
4. The southern edge of N.defodien's geographical range is probably determined by competition with N.orbicollis .
5. N.sayi and N.tomenrosus are spring and autumn breeders respectively, and rarely interact with each other or the other two species. Nevertheless, interspecific competition is the most likely evolutionary force leading to seasonal segregation.     

A new species of Oxelytrum Gistel (Coleoptera, Silphidae) from southern Argentina, with a key to the species of the genus

A new species of the forensically interesting genus Oxelytrum Gistel (Coleoptera, Silphidae), Oxelytrum selknan, is described from Santa Cruz and Tierra del Fuego provinces, Argentina. The new species resembles Oxelytrum biguttatum (Philippi) in outer aspect, but has different male genitalia, in particular a median lobe longer than the paramera. All the described species of Oxelytrum have the median lobe shorter than the paramera. The internal sac, as far as it could be reconstructed from dry-pinned specimens, also shows differences between the two species. A key to the species of Oxelytrum is given and illustrated.     

Description of Nicrophorus efferens,new species,from Bougainville Island (Coleoptera,Silphidae, Nicrophorinae)

A new species of Nicrophorus in the nepalensis species-group, Nicrophorus efferens Sikes and Mousseau, is described from Bougainville Island in the Solomon Islands archipelago. It is distinguished from the known species of the genus Nicrophorus and its likely closest relative, Nicrophorus reticulatus Sikes and Madge, based on external morphology. A comparison among the four Nicrophorus species known from the Solomon Island archipelago and Papua New Guinea is presented.     

A Review of Hypotheses of Decline of the Endangered American Burying Beetle (Silphidae: Nicrophorus americanus Olivier)

The largest species of North American Nicrophorus (Coleoptera: Silphidae), N. americanus, was placed on the US federal list of endangered species in 1989. This paper reviews literature bearing on eight hypotheses that attempt to explain the dramatic decline of this species over 90% of its former range. What is known regarding each hypothesis is separated from what remains to be investigated. We find that although progress has been made during the past 12 years, even the most well supported hypothesis requires a number of important studies to be completed or extended before we can confidently explain the decline of this species and predict the success of conservation efforts.     

Regulation of brood size in a burying beetle,Nicrophorus tomentosus (Silphidae)

Regulation of brood size in a biparental burying beetle, Nicrophorus tomentosusWeber, was studied by providing pairs with one of two sizes of mouse carcasses in the laboratory. For a given carcass size, there was an inverse relationship between number and mass offspring in a brood. The requirement for regulation was that brood size was adjusted such that mean mass of individual larvae was constant for carcasses of different size. Brood size was regulated if parents were present but regulation did not occur if parents were removed prior to hatching of larvae. Pairs bred in quick succession on two carcasses raised fewer than the regulated number of young in the second reproductive attempt. Reasons for regulation of brood size in this genus are discussed.     

Korean species of the genus Bisnius Stephens (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae)

Two Korean species of the genus Bisnius Stephens are studied. Bisnius macies (Sharp), found along the seashore of some islands, is introduced for the first time in Korea.     

Molecular systematics and biogeography of Nicrophorus in part--the investigator species group (Coleoptera: Silphidae) using mixture model MCMC

Burying beetles (Silphidae: Nicrophorus) are well-known for their biparental care and monopolization of small vertebrate carcasses in subterranean crypts. They have been the focus of intense behavioral ecological research since the 1980s yet no thorough phylogenetic estimate for the group exists. The relationships among the species, and the validity of some species, are poorly understood. Here, we infer the relationships and examine species boundaries among 50 individuals representing 15 species, primarily of the investigator species group, using a mixture-model Bayesian analysis. Two mitochondrial genes, COI and COII, were used, providing 2129 aligned nucleotides (567 parsimony-informative). The Akaike Information Criterion and Bayes Factors were used to select the best fitting model, in addition to Reversible Jump MCMC, which accommodated model uncertainty. A 21 parameter, three-partition GTR + G was the final model chosen. Despite a presumed Old World origin for the genus itself, the basal lineages and immediate outgroups of the investigator species group are New World species. Bayesian methods reconstruct the common ancestor of the investigator species group as New World and imply one later transition to the Old World with two return transitions to the New World. Prior hypotheses concerning the questionable validity of four species names, Nicrophorus praedator, Nicrophorus confusus, Nicrophorus encaustus and Nicrophorus mexicanus were tested. No evidence was found for the validity of the Nicrophorus investigator synonym N. praedator. We found evidence rejecting the species status of N. confusus (NEW SYNONYM of Nicrophorus sepultor). Weak evidence was found for the species status of N. encaustus and N. mexicanus, which are tentatively retained as valid. Our results strongly reject a recently published hypothesis that Nicrophorus interruptus (NEW STATUS as valid species) is a subspecies of N. investigator.     

Effects of isolation,logging and dispersal on woody-species richness of islands

Isolation effects on species richness of woody plants were investigated in a system of islands that were created by the filling of the Clarks Hill Reservoir, Georgia. This reservoir was built between 1946–1954. Some islands were logged and cleared of woody plants prior to the filling of the reservoir and others were not logged. The presence of logged versus unlogged islands in the same system allowed us to test whether and how geographical isolation interacts with island history and species-specific dispersal properties in determining patterns of among-island variation in species number. Thirty-six years after the islands were created, logged islands had significantly fewer species of woody plants than unlogged ones. On logged islands, total number of woody species was negatively correlated with distance to the closest mainland (r=–0.95). On unlogged islands, variation in species number was very low (CV=4.9%) and was not correlated with distance to the mainland. These results indicate that the studied system as a whole has not yet reached equilibrium. However, the mean number of species on unlogged islands was very close to the intercept of the regression obtained for logged islands, suggesting that islands close to the mainland have already reached their equilibrium species richness. This conclusion is consistent with predictions of island biogeography theory. When species representing different dispersal properties were analyzed separately, statistically significant distance effects were obtained for bird-dispersed species (r=0.88) and for species with no adaptations to bird or wind dispersal (r=0.81). Wind-dispersed species did not show a decrease in species number with increasing isolation, but their relative frequency was positively and significantly correlated with distance to the mainland (r=0.94). Historical factors, as well as differences among species in dispersal properties, are important in explaining patterns of among-island variation in species number.     

The dispersal behaviour of the phoretic mite Poecilochirus carabi (Mesostigmata,Parasitidae): adaptation to the breeding biology of its carrier Necrophorus vespilloides (Coleoptera,Silphidae)

Summary When the phoretic mite Poecilochirus carabi reproduces in the brood chamber of its carrier Necrophorus vespilloides, a beetle with biparental brood care, the first deuteronymphs of the new mite generation aggregate on the male beetle. They do not use sex-specific traits to discriminate between male and female beetles in the brood chamber, but traits that are related to the beetles' behaviour and may be displayed by both parent beetles. When the male beetle departs, it carries virtually all deuteronymphs then present in the brood chamber. Deuteronymphs that develop later congregate on the female, which leaves the crypt some days after the male. Only those deuteronymphs that miss the female's departure disperse on the beetle larvae, meaning they have to wait in their pupal chambers until the beetles have completed their development. On average, 86% of the deuteronymphs leave the brood chamber on the parent beetles, thereby gaining the advantage of an early departure. As soon as their carrier arrives at one of the beetles' meeting places, the deuteronymphs can transfer between the beetles present. Choice experiments revealed that the deuteronymphs tend to even out density differences between congregating carriers, and prefer sexually mature to immature beetles. Therefore, transferring between beetles results in a dispersion of deuteronymphs on the sexually mature beetles of the population.     

Mushroom bodies in the brain of carrion beetles (Coleoptera, Silphidae)

Mushroom bodies are developed similarly in all the carrion beetles studied, and the transition from necrophagy to predation in some species does not affect considerably their level of development. The Kenyon cells form two small groups in each brain hemisphere and are subdivided into central and peripheral cells. Two closely located inputs of the Kenyon cell processes enter a single, pillow-shaped calyx region. The pedunculus comprises two shafts along a considerable part of its length, which fuse in the lobes. In the degree of development, the mushroom bodies of carrion beetles resemble those of basal lamellicorn and longhorned beetles.     

Population trends and flight behavior of the American burying beetle, Nicrophorus americanus (Coleoptera: Silphidae), on Block Island, RI

The endangered American burying beetle, Nicrophorus americanus, was monitored on Block Island, RI, USA, from 1991–2003 using mark-recapture population estimates of adults collected in pitfall traps. Populations increased through time, especially after 1994 when a program was initiated that provided carrion for beetle production. Beetle captures increased with increasing temperature and dew point, and decreased with increasing wind speed. Short distance movement was not related to wind direction, while longer distance flights tended to be downwind. Although many individuals flew considerable distances along transects, most recaptures were in traps near the point of release. These behaviors probably have counterbalancing effects on population estimates.The U.S. Goverment's right to retain a non-exclusive, royalty-free license in and to any copyright is acknowledged.     

Stevewoodia minutum, a new genus and species of Scolytidae (Coleoptera) from the West Indies. Studies on West Indian Scolytidae (Coleoptera) 6

A new genus of Scolytidae (Coleoptera), Stevewoodia, from St. Lucia in the Lesser Antilles, is herein named and described. The type species, Stevewoodia minutumsp. n. is also named. The genus is named in honor of the late Steven L. Wood for his many contributions to the systematics of the Scolytidae.     

Taxonomic Study of Korean Cantharidae (Coleoptera) V. A Newly Recorded Genus and Species, Pseudoabsidia ussurica Wittmer, from Korea

ABSTRACT We examined newly recorded species, Pseudoabsidia ussurica Wittmer, from Korea. The species was redescribed with their color variation. Also, the photos of adult habitus and aedeagus are provided.     

Taxonomic revision of genus Ablattaria Reitter (Coleoptera,Silphidae) using geometric morphometrics

The genus Ablattaria Reitter, 1884 (Coleoptera: Silphidae: Silphinae) is revised. Four taxa are recognized as valid species: Ablattariaarenaria (Kraatz, 1876), Ablattariacribrata (Ménétries, 1832), Ablattarialaevigata (Fabricius, 1775) and Ablattariasubtriangula Reitter, 1905. Ablattarialaevigatavar.meridionalis Ganglbauer, 1899 is newly treated as a junior subjective synonym of Ablattarialaevigata. Lectotypes are designated for Phosphugaarenaria Kraatz, 1876, Ablattariaarenariavar.punctigera Reitter, 1884, Ablattariaarenariavar.alleoni Portevin, 1926, Silphacribrata Ménétries, 1832, Silphalaevigata Fabricius, 1775, Silphagibba Brullé, 1832, Ablattariagibbavar.costulata Portevin, 1926, Ablattariagibbavar.distinguenda Portevin, 1926, Ablattariagibbavar.punctata Portevin, 1926 and Ablattariasubtriangula Reitter, 1905. The distribution of all taxa is mapped, based on material examined. Geometric morphometric methods were used to evaluate shape variability in Ablattaria. Results indicated sexual dimorphism in all species. Shape inconsistency was found between the sexes of all taxa when tested independently. The first two relative warp axes indicated 65.17% shape variation in males and 65.72% in females. Canonical variate analysis separated the taxa studied. There was minimal overlap between some groups in both sexes. Differences in body shape between populations of Ablattarialaevigata from Central Europe, Italy and Greece + Turkey were also examined. Relative warps implied 58.01% shape variability on both axes in males and 64.78% in females. CVA revealed noticeable overlaps between the groups, although the Italian population demonstrated a higher separation in both sexes.     

Taxonomic review of the genus Gonioctena Chevrolat (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Chrysomelinae) in the Korean Peninsula

A taxonomic review of the genus Gonioctena in the Korean Peninsula is presented. Ten species belonging to three subgenera are recognized. Gonioctena jacobsoni (Ogloblin et Medvedev) and Gonioctnea kamiyai Kimoto are recorded for the first time in Korea. A key, illustrations of diagnostic characters, and the coloration patterns of Korean Gonioctena are provided.     

C-bands on chromosomes of four beetle species (Coleoptera: Carabidae, Silphidae, Elateridae, Scarabaeidae)

The C-banding pattern of Bembidion geniculatum, Silpha atrata, Prosternon tesselatum, and Epicometis hirta are presented. All analysed species have pracentromeric C-bands on autosomes and chromosome X but the widest ones are visible in the karyotype of B. geniculatum. In S. atrata, P. tesselatum, and E. hirta sex chromosome y is heterochromatic, only B. geniculatum having the Y chromosome wholly euchromatin. The results indicate that on the chromosomes of the investigated species do not have a terminal and an intercalar segments of heterochromatin.