Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t7czq Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-24T21:33:17.084Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Populations of African black beetle, Heteronychus arator (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in a Mediterranean climate region of Australia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 July 2009

J.N. Matthiessen  and
T.J. Ridsdill-Smith
J.N. Matthiessen*
Affiliation:
CSIRO Division of Entomology, Perth, Australia
T.J. Ridsdill-Smith
Affiliation:
CSIRO Division of Entomology, Perth, Australia
*
Mr J. N. Matthiessen, CSIRO Division of Entomology, Private Bag, P.O., Wembley, W.A. 6014, Australia.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Populations of African black beetle, Heteronychus arator (Fabricius), a subterranean pasture-dwelling pest of potatoes, were examined in pastures in geographically separated potato-growing areas covering 3½° of latitude in southwestern Australia. Abundance of all life stages was estimated by taking soil cores and the reproductive state of females was assessed from the stage of their ovarian development. H. arator adults emerged in late summer-early autumn (January–March), ovaries matured slowly during winter and oviposition occurred in spring (September–November). The interval between equivalent population events was about six weeks from the northernmost to the southernmost regions. Fecundity was estimated to be around 12 eggs/female and greatest natural mortality occurred late in the pre-adult development phase.

Type
Research Paper
Information
Bulletin of Entomological Research , Volume 81 , Issue 1 , March 1991 , pp. 85 - 91
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1991

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

Jenkins, C.F.H. (1965) The black beetle. Journal of the Western Australian Department of Agriculture 6, 39–42.Google Scholar
King, P.D. (1977) Effect of plant species and organic matter on feeding behaviour and weight gain of larval black beetle, Heteronychus arator (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). New Zealand Journal of Zoology 4, 445–448.Google Scholar
King, P.D. (1979) The effect of diet on fat levels and fecundity of Heteronychus arator (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), pp. 97–99in Crosby, T.K & Pottinger, R.P. (Eds) Proceedings of the 2nd Australasian Conference on Grassland Invertebrate Ecology. Government Printer, Wellington.Google Scholar
King, P.D., Mercer, C.F. & Meekings, J.S. (1981a) Ecology of black beetle, Heteronychus arator (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) – population sampling. New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research 24, 79–86.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
King, P.D., Mercer, C.F. & Meekings, J.S. (1981b) Ecology of black beetle, Heteronychus arator (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) – population studies. New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research 24, 87–97.Google Scholar
King, P.D., Mercer, C.F. & Meekings, J.S. (1981c) Ecology of black beetle, Heteronychus arator (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) – population modelling. New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research 24, 99–105.Google Scholar
King, P.D., Mercer, C.F. & Meekings, J.S. (1981d) Ecology of black beetle Heteronychus arator. Influence of plant species on larval consumption, utilization and growth. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata 29, 109–116.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
King, P.D., Mercer, C.F. & Meekings, J.S. (1981e) Ecology of black beetle Heteronychus arator (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) – influence of temperature on feeding, growth and survival of the larvae. New Zealand Journal of Zoology 8, 113–117.Google Scholar
King, P.D., Mercer, C.F. & Meekings, J.S. (1981f) Ecology of black beetle Heteronychus arator (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) – influence of pasture species on oviposition site preference. New Zealand Journal of Zoology 8, 119–122.Google Scholar
Matthiessen, J.N. (1989). Sampling whitefringed weevil and African black beetle in the potato/pasture system in southwestern Australia, pp. 33–35in Robertson, L.N. & Allsopp, P.G. (Eds) Proceedings of a soil-invertebrate workshop. Department of Primary Industries, Queensland.Google Scholar
Matthiessen, J.N. & Hayles, L. (1983) Seasonal changes in characteristics of cattle dung as a resource for an insect in southwestern Australia. Australian Journal of Ecology 8, 9–16.Google Scholar
Mercer, C.F. & King, P.D. (1976) Ovarian development in black beetle, Heteronychus arator (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). New Zealand Entomologist 6, 165–170.Google Scholar
Minson, D.H. & Wilson, J.R. (1980) Comparative digestibility of tropical and temperate forage - a contrast between grasses and legumes. Journal of the Australian Institute of Agricultural Science 46, 247–249.Google Scholar
Southwood, T.R.E. (1978) Ecological methods with particular reference to the study of insect populations. 2nd edn.524 pp. London, Chapman & Hall.Google Scholar
Sutherst, R.W., Macqueen, A., Kelley, B.M., Stegeman, D.A., Asher, K.G. & Tozer, R.S. (1987) Mechanized extraction of arthropods from cattle dung. Bulletin of Entomological Research 77, 239–246.Google Scholar
Tyndale-Biscoe, M. (1984) Age-grading methods in adult insects: a review. Bulletin of Entomological Research 74, 341–377.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Watson, R.N. (1979) Dispersal and distribution of Heteronychus arator in New Zealand (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), pp. 149–152in Crosby, T.K. & Pottinger, R.P. (Eds) Proceedings of the 2nd Australasian Conference on Grassland Invertebrate Ecology. Wellington, Government Printer.Google Scholar