Hostname: page-component-5c6d5d7d68-pkt8n Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-08-08T03:07:16.906Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Seasonally contrasting activity of African black beetle, Heteronychus arator (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae): implications for populations, pest status and management

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 July 2009

J.N. Matthiesse  and
S.E. Learmonth
J.N. Matthiesse*
Affiliation:
CSIRO Entomology, Private Bag, PO Wembley, WA 6014, Australia
S.E. Learmonth
Affiliation:
Horticultural Research Centre, Agriculture Western Australia, Manjimup, WA 6258, Australia
*
* Fax: +61 8 9333 6646 E-mail: johnm@ccmar.csiro.au
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Flight and surface activity of the African black beetle, Heteronychus arator (Fabricius), detected by pitfall, light and window traps, was seasonally reversed. High surface activity relative to flight occurred in spring when beetles were mature, while relatively higher levels of flight occurred in autumn when they were immature. Pitfall trap captures were male-dominated in spring and female-dominated in autumn, and were a poor estimator of adult density. Light trap captures were consistently female-dominated. Although autumn flight was dispersive and inferred to have some role in population regulation, it was largely localized within the usual pasture habitat of the species. Some beetles flew into irrigated potato crops in autumn, but not specifically, as beetle abundance was consistently less than in surrounding dry pasture. High surface activity indicates spring is a strategic time for surface-applied control measures to prevent increase of H. arator in the next generation, a less disruptive alternative to conventional soil-incorporated insecticide directed at the new generation's larvae in summer. Such an approach would be best aimed early in the upsurge of activity, as most of the season's cohort of eggs was laid by the time surface activity peaked in mid-spring.

Type
Research Article
Information
Bulletin of Entomological Research , Volume 88 , Issue 4 , August 1998 , pp. 443 - 450
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1998

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

Barratt, B.I.P. & Campbell, R.A. (1982) Biology of the striped chafer, Odontia striata (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) 1. The adult, flight and ground surface activity, female maturation, and food-plant selection. New Zealand Journal of Zoology 9, 249–266.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Farrell, J.A.K. & Wightman, J.A. (1972) Observations on flight and feeding activity of adult Costelytra zealandica (White) (Col., Scarabaeidae) in Nelson province. New Zealand Journal of Agricnltural Research 15, 893–903.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Johnson, C.C. (1969) Migration and dispersal of insects by flight. 763 pp. London, Methuen.Google Scholar
Kelsey, J.M. (1968) Flight and ground collection records of Costelytra zealandica (White) at a site in Canterbury, New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Science 11, 664–685.Google Scholar
King, P.D., Meekings, J.S. & Smith, S.M. (1980) An evaluation of pitfall trapping as a method of estimating black beetle populations in spring. pp. 148–150in Hartley, M.J. (Ed.) Proceedings 33rd New Zealand Weed and Pest Control Conference. New Zealand Weed and Pest Control Society, Palmerston North.Google Scholar
Learmonth, S.E. & Matthiessen, J.N. (1993) Insecticide spraying of pasture to control African black beetle in potatoes. pp. 152–153in Corey, S.A., Dall, D.J. & Milne, W.M. (Eds) Pest control and sustainable agriculture. Melbourne, CSIRO.Google Scholar
Luff, M.L. (1975) Some features influencing the efficiency of pitfall traps. Oecologia 19, 345–357.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Luff, M.L. (1982) Population dynamics of Carabidae. Annals of Applied Biology 101, 164–170.Google Scholar
Matthiessen, J.N. (1993) African black beetle population regulation in a Mediterranean climate region of Australia – an enigma. pp. 60–66in Prestidge, R.A. (Ed.) Proceedings of the 6th Australasian Conference on Grassland Invertebrate Ecology. Hamilton, New Zealand.Google Scholar
Matthiessen, J.N. & Learmonth, S.E. (1993) Spatial sampling of insects, plant parts and insect attacks in the soil of potato crops. Bulletin of Entomological Research 83, 607–612.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Matthiessen, J.N. & Learmonth, S.E. (1995) Impact on potatoes of the soil insects African black beetle, Heteronychus arator (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) and whitefringed weevil, Graphognathus leucoloma (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), and effects of insecticide. Bulletin of Entomological Research 85, 101–111CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Matthiessen, J.N. & Ridsdill-Smith, T.J. (1991) Populations of African black beetle, Heteronychus arator (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in a mediterranean-climate area of Australia. Bulletin of Entomological Research 81, 85–91.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Southwood, T.R.E. (1978) Ecological methods with particular reference to the study of insect populations. 524 pp. London, Chapman & Hall.Google Scholar
Topping, C.J. & Sunderland, K.D. (1992) Limitations to the use of pitfall traps in ecological studies exemplified by a studs of spiders in a field of winter wheat. Journal of Applied Ecology 29, 485–491.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Watson, R.N. (1979a) 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, New Zealand, Government printer.Google Scholar
Watson, R.N. (1979b) Use of a modified light trap to improve catches of black beetle, Heteronychus arator (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), and black field cricket, Teleogryllus commodus (Orthoptera: Gryllidae). New Zealand Entomologist 7, 92–97.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wensler, R.J. (1974) Crepuscular activity of adult Sericesthis geminata (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae): influence of circadian rhythmicity and light intensity. New Zealand Journal of Zoology 1, 197–204.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Woodward, J.A., Boutt, D.G. & Brecht, M. (1990) Introduction to linear models in experimental design. 626 pp. New York, Harcourt Brace Javonovich.Google Scholar