Evaluation of marking techniques, mark retention, and mortality due to marking of burying beetles (Coleoptera: Silphidae)

摘要

The American burying beetle, Nicrophorus americanus Olivier, was listed as an endangered species in 1989 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The recovery plan outlines the need for self-sustaining populations with at least 500 individuals, which requires mark and recapture sampling methods for measurement. To estimate populations, a marking technique must be used that will stay intact during the study and not adversely affect the beetle's behavior. Four marking techniques (bee tags, enamel paint, elytron-clipping, and elytron-cauterizing) have been used in studies involving the marking of N. americanus studies. In our study, we used two surrogate species, Nicrophorus marginatus F. and Nicrophorus orbicollis Say, to test these different marking techniques. There were no significant differences in mortality rates among the four techniques for mature or teneral beetles. Bee tags had a significantly higher retention rate than paint in day-to-day activities and during reproductive cycles. In a field study of N. americanus where bee tags and elytral cauterizing were used, bee tags had a loss rate of 19.7%. A combination of permanent marks and bee tags will allow researchers to perform more accurate population estimates as well as track individual beetles to gain knowledge of their ecology and biology.