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Eggs in faeces: defensive mechanisms and effects of faecal coating by a water scavenger beetle, Coelostoma stultum (Coleopterea: Hydrophilidae)

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Abstract

The egg stage in insect development is vulnerable to fluctuations in environmental conditions and attacks by natural enemies. Protective devices are effective means of avoiding both abiotic and biotic damage to eggs. Although some insects use their faeces as a protective device, few studies have focused on using faeces for egg protection, and studies that examined the mechanism are lacking. Females of a water scavenger beetle, Coelostoma stultum, typically lay eggs and coat them with cocoons and their faeces. The efficacy of a double defensive device, however, remains uncertain. Here, we conducted field observations and laboratory experiments to assess the protective effects of cocoons with faecal coating on eggs against predation and determine the duration and mechanisms of this defence. Our findings reveal that the faeces on the egg cocoon protected eggs from predation by the pill bugs, Armadillidium vulgare, and marsh slugs, Deroceras laeve. Laboratory experiments showed that the defensive effect of faecal coating was maintained for three days and decreased daily. The double protective traits with faecal coating on the egg cocoons protected the eggs from instense predation pressure in C. stultum. The behavioural patterns of the pill bugs and egg predation rates indicate that the faecal coating behaviour in C. stultum protects eggs with chemical compounds and textural camouflage in mud when the antennae of the pill bugs touch faeces. It is important to note that for this defence to be effective, the chemistry and texture of the faeces should be similar to that of the oviposition sites.

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Data availability

The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

We appreciate Dr Martin Fikáček (National Sun Yat-sen University, Taiwan) and Dr Yûsuke N. Minoshima (Kitakyushu Museum of Natural History and Human History) for their insightful comments and for providing some important information related to Hydrophilidae. We want to thank Toshiko Sakai for her willingness to permit us to conduct experiments at the study site. We are also deeply grateful to Dr Mitsuru Hirota (University of Tsukuba) and Dr Yukie Sato (University of Tsukuba) for their crucial comments and constructive suggestions regarding the manuscript. We thank Dr Kazumu Kuramitsu (University of Tsukuba) and members of the Conservation Ecology Laboratory of University of Tsukuba for their valuable comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. NIDEK Co., Ltd., Gamagôri, Aichi, 443-0038, Japan

    Ryosuke Matsushima

  2. Laboratory of Conservation Ecology, Graduate School of Science and Technology, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8572, Japan

    Ryosuke Matsushima & Tomoyuki Yokoi

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  1. Ryosuke Matsushima
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  2. Tomoyuki Yokoi
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Project design: Ryosuke Matsushima and Tomoyuki Yokoi. Data collection and analysis: Ryosuke Matsushima. Manuscript writing: Ryosuke Matsushima and Tomoyuki Yokoi. The authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Ryosuke Matsushima or Tomoyuki Yokoi.

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This study was conducted according to the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki.

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Communicated by: Matthias Waltert

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114_2023_1857_MOESM1_ESM.xlsx

Supplementary file1 (XLSX 39 KB) Table S1 Transition matrices of observed behaviour in eight individuals of the pill bug, Armadillidium vulgare, for each treatment. These matrices indicate each behaviour (columns) and followed each behaviour (rows). (A) control, (B) no-coating, (C) artificial coating, (D) mud coating

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Matsushima, R., Yokoi, T. Eggs in faeces: defensive mechanisms and effects of faecal coating by a water scavenger beetle, Coelostoma stultum (Coleopterea: Hydrophilidae). Sci Nat 110, 29 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-023-01857-6

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