TY  - JOUR
A1  - Kirmse, Susan
A1  - Wiesner, Jürgen
T1  - Nocturnal multi-species roosts of Cicindelidae (Coleoptera) in a Neotropical lowland rainforest
T2  - Insecta mundi
N2  - Tiger beetles (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae) are frequent predators on the forest floor of the Amazon rainforest. We report on five diurnal sympatric tiger beetle species belonging to the genera Odontocheila Laporte de Castelnau and Poecilochila Rivalier in a terra firme rainforest in South Venezuela. We observed adult beetles for a full year and monitored their nocturnal roosts along two forest paths during the rainy season in 1998. We found up to four species communally roosting on low vegetation along the paths during the night. Multi-species roosts were more often observed than conspecific communal roosts. Although the individual composition of the nocturnal roosts changed frequently, distinct plants were used for several days to weeks. The most individual-rich roosts comprised 10 or 11 adult tiger beetles roosting on one leaf. Observed nocturnal roosts were dominated by O. angulipenis W. Horn and O. margineguttata (Dejean). Most mixed roosts included O. confusa (Dejean), O. angulipenis and O. margineguttata. Low abundances and size differences possibly facilitate the coexistence of these five tiger beetle species. The advantage of communal roosting during the rainy season is probably the reinforcement of their chemical defense.
T3  - Insecta Mundi - 878 
KW  - Biodiversity
KW  - Amazonas
KW  - aggregation behavior
KW  - communal roosts
KW  - coexistence
KW  - seasonality
KW  - tiger beetles,
KW  - Venezuela
Y1  - 2021
UR  - http://publikationen.ub.uni-frankfurt.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/64366
UR  - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-643663
UR  - https://journals.flvc.org/mundi/article/view/129422
SN  - 1942-1354
SN  - 0749-6737
VL  - 2021
IS  - article 878
SP  - 1
EP  - 9
PB  - Flora & Fauna Publ.
CY  - Gainesville, Fla.
ER  -