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Seasonality of ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in the rain forests of N. Sulawesi (Indonesia)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 September 2011

Wilfried Paarmann
Affiliation:
Zoologisches Institut der Universität Würzburg, Röntgenring 10, D 8700 Würzburg, W. Germany
Nigel E. Stork*
Affiliation:
Department of Entomology, British Museum (Natural History), Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, U.K.
*
* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
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Abstract

Samples of ground beetles (Carabidae) were collected throughout the year-long 1985 Joint Indonesian–Royal Entomological Society expedition, Project Wallace, in an area of rain forest in N. Sulawesi. The beetles were collected by a range of collecting techniques including insecticide fogging, malaise, flight interception, pitfall and light trapping as well as hand collecting. The state of ovary maturation was determined by dissecting the females. A high number of species of Carabidae show a distinct seasonal reproductive rhythm in the form of gonad dormancy, avoiding reproduction in the slightly cooler months in the middle of the year. In contrast, most species of tiger beetles (subfamily Cicindelinae) are reproductively active at this time of year. The study area appears to have an unusually variable monthly rainfall for this region, and we suggest that the seasonality in the ground and tiger beetles is a response to the strict annual rainfall patterns of the coastal areas 10–20 km to the north and south.

Résumé

Des échantillonanages de Carabidae ont été réalisés tout au long de l'année 1985 par les équipes du project conjoint de l'Indonesian Royal Entomological Society–Project Wallace, dans une région de forêt hydrophile pluviale au nord de Sulawesi. Les insectes ont été récoltés par diverses techniques comprenant la nébulisation d'insecticides, des pièges à interception, des pièges de malaise, des “pitfalls”, le piège lumineux, aussi bien que par la récolte à vue. L'état de maturation ovarienne a été déterminé par dissection. Un grand nombre d'espèces de Carabidae autres que les Cicindèles (sous-famille Cicindelinae) montre un rythme saisonnier net de reproduction mis en évidence par l'état de dormance des gonades, durant les mois les plus froids de l'année. A l'inverse, la plupart des Cicindèles sont aptes à se reproduire durant cette période. Le périmètre étudié semble avoir, par rapport aux régions adjacentes, des variations inhabituelles des précipitations mensuelles. Nous suggérons que le rythme saisonnier des Carabidae, pris dans leur ensemble, est une réponse aux rythmes des pluies règnant dans les régions côtières situées entre 10 et 20 kilomètres au nord et au sud.

Type
Symposium III: Life-History Traits in Tropical Insects
Copyright
Copyright © ICIPE 1987

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References

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