Summary
The consumption and growth of Abax ater Villers were measured over the whole life cycle under summer conditions in the laboratory.
Consumption in larvae fed on earthworms increased intil the third larval instar, when it reached a steady state at about 20 mg FW/day (fresh weight per day). Consumption in imagos fed on ground beaf meat increased after emergence, then decreased to reach a steady state at 20–30 mg FW/day. The total amount of food ingested per individual was distinctly higher during the adult stage than during the larval stages.
Growth followed a classical S-shape curve during larval development. Weight decreased by less than 10% during the pupal stage. Growth was very significant during the first three months of adult life; dry weight production during this period was almost twice the production during the seven months of larval life (61 vs 36 mg).
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© 1994 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
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Chaabane, K., Josens, G., Loreau, M. (1994). Laboratory measurements of consumption and growth in Abax ater . In: Desender, K., Dufrêne, M., Loreau, M., Luff, M.L., Maelfait, JP. (eds) Carabid Beetles: Ecology and Evolution. Series Entomologica, vol 51. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-0968-2_17
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-0968-2_17
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
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