Abstract
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.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bosi, G. (2001). Observations on Colymbetine predation based on crop content analysis in three species: Agabus bipustulatus, Ilybius subaeneus, Rhantus suturalis (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae). Bollettino della Societa Entomologica Italiana 133(1): 37–42.
Buczyńska E., Buczyński P., Lachowski L. & Stryjecki R. (2008). Fish pond as refugia of aquatic invertebrates (Odonata, Coleoptera, Heteroptera, Trichoptera, Hydrachnidia): a case study of the pond complex in Zalesie Kańskie (Central-East Poland). Nature Conservation 64: 39–55.
Cobbaert, D., Bayley. S. E. & Greter J.L. (2010). Effects of a top invertebrate predator (Dytiscus alaskanus; Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) on fishless pond ecosystems. Hydrobiologia 644:103–114. DOI: 10.1007/s10750-010-0100-7
Deding, J. (1988). Gut content analysis of diving beetles (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae). Natura Jutlandica 22: 177–184
Dettner, K., Hübner M. & Classen R. (1986). Age Structure, Phenology and Prey of Some Rheophilic Dytiscidae (Coleoptera). Entomologica Basiliensia 11: 343–370.
Erman, O. K. & Erman O. (2008). Dytisicidae Coleoptera species in Artvin and Rize Provinces of northeastern Turkey. Munis Enomology and Zoology 3(2): 582–593.
Frelik, A. (2014). Food of adult diving beetles Colymbetes fuscus (Linnaeus, 1758) and C. striatus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) in the Zehlau Peatbog and in oxbow lakes and fens (the Biebrza Marshes). Polish Journal of Entomology 83: 171–180. DOI: 10.2478/pjen-2014-0012
Galewski, K. & Tranda E. (1978). Freshwater fauna of Poland, Vol. 10. The water beetles, Coleoptera. PWN, Warsaw — Poznań. (in Polish)
Gautam, A. & Goutam K.S. (2006). Predation of the beetle Rhantus sikkimensis (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) on the larvae of Chironomus Meigen (Diptera: Chironomidae) of the Darjeeling Himalayas of India. Limnologica 36(4): 251–257. DOI: 10.1016/j.limno.2006.07.004
Hicks, B.J. (1994). Foregut contents of adult Ilybius Erichson (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) from Newfoundland. The Coleopterists Bulletin 48(2): 199–200.
Inoda, T. (2012). Predaceous diving beetle, Dytiscus sharpi sharpi (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) larvae avoid cannibalism by recognizing prey. Zoological Science 29(9): 547–52. DOI: 10.2108/zsj.29.547
Jachner, A. (1999). Predator-induced defence in fish. Kosmos 48(4): 491–500.
James, H.G. (1965). Predators of Aedesatropalpus (Coq.) (Diptera: Culicidae) and of other mosquitoes breeding in rock pools in Ontario. Canadian Journal of Zoology 43(1): 155–159
Johansson, F. (1992). Predator life style and prey mobility: a comparison of two predatory odonate larvae. Archiv für Hydrobiologie. 126: 163–173.
Johansson, A. & Nilsson A.N. (1992). Dytiscus latissimus and D. circumcinctus (Coleoptera, Dytiscidae) larvae as predators on three case-making caddis larvae. Hydrobiologia 248(3): 201–213. DOI: 10.1007/BF00006148
Kehl, S. & Dettner K. (2003). Predation by pioneer water beetles (Coleoptera, Dytiscidae) from sandpit ponds, based on crop-content analysis and laboratory experiments. Archiv für Hydrobiologie 158(1): 109–126. DOI: 10.1127/0003-9136/2003/0158-0109
Koperski, P. (1999). The food strategies of freshwater predators. Kosmos 48(4): 425–434. (in Polish)
Kiriejczuk, A. G., Szawierdo E. W. & Gramma W. N. (2001). The water beetles (Coleoptera) in Strjełkow A. Ł, Freshwater invertrebrates of Russia and adjacent areas. Nauka.Sankt-Petersburg. 82–760. (in Russian)
Kühlhorn, F. (1961). Investigations on the importance of various representatives of the hydrofauna and flora as natural limiting factors for Anopheles larvae. Zeitschrift für angewandte Zoologie 48: 129–161.
Lee F.C. (1967). Laboratory observations on certain mosquito predators. Mosquito News 27(3): 332–338.
Le Louarn, H. & Cloarec A. (1997). Insect predation on pike fry. Journal of Fish Biology 50(2): 366–370.
MacArthur, D. J. & Pianka E. R. (1966). On the optimal use of patchy environment. The American Naturalist 100: 603–609.
Miller, K. B., (2013). Review of the Genus Cybister Curtis, 1827 (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae: Dytiscinae: Cybistrini) in North America. The Coleopterists Bulletin 67(4):401–410. DOI: 10.1649/0010-065X-67.4.401
Nilsson, A.N. & Holmen, M. (1995). The aquatic Adephaga (Coleoptera) of Fennoscandia and Denmark. II. Dytiscidae. Fauna Entomologica Scandinavica, 32, 1–192.
Ohiba, S. & Takagi M. (2010). Predatory Ability of adult diving beetles on the Japanese Encephalitis vector Culex Tritaeniorhynchus. Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association 26(1): 32–36.
Pearman, P.B. (1995). Effect of pond size and consequent predator density on two species of tadpoles. Oecologia 102(1): 1–8.
Roberts, D.R., Smith L.W. & Enns W.R. (1967). Laboratory observations on predation activities of Laccophilus beetles on the immature stages of some dipterous pests found in Missouri oxidation lagoons. Annals of the Entomological Society of America 60(5): 908–910.
Serajuddin M., Kashyap A. & Gupta M. (2013). Predatory insects of various Fish ponds Detrimental to Polyculture: A survey. Research Journal of Life Sciences 1(2): 21–24.
Sailer, R.I. & Lienk S.E. (1954). Insect predators of mosquito larvae and pupae in Alaska. Mosquito News 14: 14–16.
Sih, A. (1986). Antipredator responses and the perception of danger by mosquito larvae. Ecology 67: 434–441.
Volkova, P., Dzhafarova A., Fedorova D., Gladchenko M., Karnayeva A., Pozdnyakov O., Slobodkina. Y., Tilipman D. & Petrov P. (2013). Effect of two types and different quantities of bait on the efficiency of funnel traps for diving beetles (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) with special emphasis on Graphoderus bilineatus DeGeer, 1774. Latvijas Entomologs 52: 119–129.
Walker, Ch. E. (1901). Amateur Fish Culture. Land and Water. London.
Wesenberg-Lund, C. (1912). Biological research on Dytiscidae. Bulletin of freshwter biological laboratories. Frederiksdal w Lyngby i Hillerod Denmark (in German)
Young, A.M. (1967). Predation in the larvae of Dytiscus marginalis Linnaeus, 1758 (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae). Pan-Pacific Entomologist 43: 113–117.
Young, J.O. & Sperling S.M. (1986). The incidence of predation on lake-dwelling leeches. Freshwater Biology 16(4): 465–477.
Zaret, J. (1980). Predation and freshwater communities. Yale University Press, New Haven.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
About this article
Cite this article
Frelik, A. 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. Ocean and Hydro 43, 360–365 (2014). https://doi.org/10.2478/s13545-014-0153-8
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/s13545-014-0153-8