Vol. 87, Nos. 9 & 10, November & December 1976 265 CARRION BEETLE RESPONSES TO POIKILOTHERM AND HOMOIOTHERM CARRION (COLEOPTERA:SILPHIDAE)> Paul P. Shubeck^ ABSTRACT: Two traps baited with cold-blooded vertebrate carrion and two traps baited with warm-blooded carrion were in continual operation in Hutcheson Memorial Forest for 34 weelcs during 1975. Of the seven species of Silphidae attracted to the traps five species were taken in numbers suitable for statistical analysis. Nicrophoms orbicollis manifested a significant difference (paired comparisons -Student's t-test) in its' response to fish carrion over chicken carrion. None of the other four species -N. tomentosus, Silpha noveboracensis, S. inaequalis, S. americana -showed a significant difference (paired comparisons -Student's t-test) in responding to poikilotherm and homoiotherm carrion. DESCRIPTORS: Coleoptera, Silphidae; Nicrophoms orbicollis, N. tomentosus, Silpha noveboracensis, S. inaequalis, S. americana; cold-blooded carrion, warm-blooded carrion, Hutcheson Memorial Forest. Observations have appeared in the literature which indicate that some silphid species prefer one kind of carrion over others. When writing about the insects of New Jersey, Smith (1910) stated that Nicrophorus americanus was found ". . . almost exclusively on reptiles," but that N. marginatus was found "Throughout the state, on carrion of all kinds ..." He also stated that Silpha lapponica was found "Throughout the state; specifically on fish; but also on snakes, toads and other reptilia." Jaques, in his guide to beetles (1951) stated that N. americanus was found ". . . under snakes." Dillon and Dillon (1961), when referring to N. marginatus, stated that "This species is found especially on cold-blooded vertebrate carrion." In regard to S. lapponica they stated that "This species occurs especially on dead frogs, toads, snakes, and other cold-blooded carrion." The preceding statements apparently are based on field observations and not on controlled experimental data. The observations that some silphid species appear to prefer carrion from certain taxa does not seem to have greatly influenced the choices of carrion by researchers conducting ecological studies on the carrion microcosm. When examining several papers that have appeared during the past two decades I noted that two authors used fish (Walker, 1957; Pirone, 1974), one used lizards and toads (Cornaby, 1974), one used chicken legs (Shubeck, 1968, 1969, 1971), and three used mammals (Reed, 1958; Payne, 1965; Johnson, 1975). The choices of carrion type in each case seemed to be based on the anticipated availability of carrion supply during the course of the study. ^Accepted for publication: May 17, 1976 ^Biology Department, Montclair State College, Upper Montclair, N.J. ENT. NEWS, 87: 9 & 10: 265 -269, November & December 1976
BioStor
