Predation of adult large diving beetles Dytiscus marginalis (Linnaeus, 1758), Dytiscus circumcinctus (Ahrens, 1811) and Cybister lateralimarginalis (De Geer, 1774) (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) on fish fry

摘要

The presented study describes the presence of fish fry in the diet of imagines of large Dytiscidae. The study was conducted between March and September in 2012 and 2013. A total of 163 large, aquatic, diving beetles were caught, which represented the following species: Dytiscus marginalis, Dytiscus circumcinctus, Cybister lateralimarginalis. Fish were identified by scales, bones, vertebrae, pharyngeal teeth. Insects were identified by epicrania, mandibles, hooks, limbs, body segments, eyes and wings. Crustaceans were identified by limbs and Oligochaeta by bristles. Seeds and eggs of invertebrates were found whole and intact. Fragments of fish fry were found in the digestive tracts of all three species collected in three studied ponds. The alimentary canals of the studied beetles contained also fragments of insects, detritus, plant tissue, Crustacea, Arachnida, other invertebrates, Oligochaeta, and Gastropoda.