Abstract
For conservation purposes, and to supply critically endangered insects for laboratory use, a system for artificial breeding is crucial. However, in the case of carnivorous insects such as diving beetles, the larvae must be isolated because they are cannibalistic. We developed a method for mass breeding the larvae of two diving beetles, Dytiscus sharpi sharpi (Wehncke) and Dytiscus sharpi validus (Régimbart) (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae), which are designated critically endangered species in Japan. Ten to twenty larvae were raised in a small tank (35 cm × 25 cm × 10 cm; water depth 7 cm) with Rana ornativentris (Werner) tadpoles as prey. At low prey density, ~80 % of the larvae were cannibalized. At moderate prey density, 50–60 % were cannibalized. However, at high prey density, <3 % were cannibalized. Well-fed mass-bred adults were larger than individually bred and field-collected adults. This mass breeding method can be used for the conservation and breeding of these rare diving beetles in a manageable number of aquaria.
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Acknowledgments
We thank Mr. Linton Teoh (Sydney, Australia) and Mr. R. Z. Corpuz (University of the Philippines) for their English review. We would like to extend our appreciation to two anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments on the manuscript.
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Inoda, T., Kitano, T. Mass breeding larvae of the critically endangered diving beetles Dytiscus sharpi sharpi and Dytiscus sharpi validus (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae). Appl Entomol Zool 48, 397–401 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13355-013-0176-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13355-013-0176-4