Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Beetles Large and Small

  • Chapter
The Hot-Blooded Insects

Abstract

TO the ancient Egyptians, scarab beetles were of great religious significance. The pharaohs were placed in their tombs with replicas of the scarab, precisely and uniformly carved according to instructions in the Book of the Dead. These beetles—which build deep underground chambers where their eggs are laid and develop through the larval, white grub stage, until as adults they emerge from the earth as beautiful creatures capable of flight—were symbols of resurrection for the Egyptians, symbols of the continuity of life. For those who understand their habits as dung scavengers, they are also a symbol of, and the central participant in, the continuous cycles of the ecosystem in which they live.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Reference

  • Barnett, P. S., J. J. A. Heffron, and H. R. Hepburn. 1975. Some thermal characteristics of insect flight; enzyme optima versus intra-thoracic temperature. S. Afr. J. Sci. 71:373–374.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bartholomew, G. A., and T. M. Casey. 1977a. Endothermy during terrestrial activity in large beetles. Science 195:882–883.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bartholomew, G. A., and T. M. Casey. 1977b. Body temperature and oxygen consumption during rest and activity in relation to body size in some tropical beetles. J. Therm. Biol. 2:173–176.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bartholomew, G. A., and B. Heinrich. 1978. Endothermy in African dung beetles during flight, ball making, and ball rolling. J. Exp. Biol. 73:65–83.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bartholomew, G. A., J. R. B. Lighton, and G. N. Louw. 1985. Energetics of locomotion and patterns of respiration in tenebrionid beetles from the Namib Desert. J. Comp. Physiol. 155:155–162.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bolwig, N. 1957. Experiments on the regulation of the body temperature of certain tenebrionid beetles. J. Ent. Soc. S. Afr. 20:454–458.

    Google Scholar 

  • Buxton, P. A. 1924. Heat, moisture and animal life in deserts. Proc. Roy. Soc. Land. B96:123–131.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chappell, M. A. 1984. Thermoregulation and energetics of the green fig beetle (Cotinus texana) during flight and foraging behavior. Physiol. Zool. 57:581–589.

    Google Scholar 

  • Donaldson, J. M. 1981. Population dynamics of adult cetoniinae Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) and their relationship to metereological conditions. Phytophylactica 13:11–21.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dotterweich, H. 1928. Beiträge zur Nervenphysiologie der Insekten. Zool. Jb. Abt. Allg. Zool. Physiol. Tiere 44:399–425.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dreisig, H. 1980. Daily activity, thermoregulation and water loss in the tiger beetle Cicindela hybrida. Oecologia (Berlin) 44:376–389.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dreisig, H. 1981. The rate of predation and its temperature dependence in a tiger beetle, Cicindela hybrida. Oikos 36:196–202.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dreisig, H. 1990. Thermoregulatory stilting in tiger beetles, Cicindela hybrida L. J. Arid Environ. 19:297–302.

    Google Scholar 

  • Edney, E. B. 1971. The body temperature of tenebrionid beetles in the Namib Desert of southern Africa. J. Exp. Biol. 55:253–272.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ellertson, F. E. 1958. Biology of some Oregon rain beetles, Plecoma spp., associated with fruit trees in Wasco and Hood River Counties. Ph.D. thesis, Oregon State University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Erbeling, L., and W. Paarmann. 1985. Diel activity patterns of the desert carabid beetle Thermophilium (=Anthia) sexmaculatum F. (Coleoptera:Carabidae). J. Arid Environ. 8:141–155.

    Google Scholar 

  • Erbeling, L., and W. Paarmann. 1986. The role of circannual rhythm of thermoregulation in the control of the reproductive cycle of the desert carabid beetle Thermophilium sexmaculatum F. In Carabid Beetles: Their Adaptations and Dynamics, ed. P. J. den Boer, M. L. Luff, F. Mossakowski, and F. Weber, pp. 125–146. Stuttgart, New York: Gustav Fisher.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ganeshaiah, K. N., and V. V. Belavadi. 1986. Habitat segregation in four species of adult tiger beetles (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae). Ecol. Entomol. 11:147–154.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guppy, M., S. Guppy, and J. Hebrard. 1983. Behaviour of the riverine tiger beetle, Lophyridia dongalensis imperatrix: Effect of water availability on thermoregulatory strategy. Entomol. Exp. Appl. 33:276–282.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hadley, N. F. 1971. Micrometerology and energy exchange in two desert arthropods. Ecology 49:726–734.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hadley, N. F., T. D. Schultz, and A. Savill. 1988. Spectral reflectances of three tiger beetle subspecies (Neocicindela perhispida): Correlation with habitat substrate. N. Z. J. Zool. 15:343–346.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hamilton, W. J., III. 1971. Competition and thermoregulatory behavior of the Namib Desert tenebrionid genus Cardiosis. Ecology 52:810–822.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hamilton, W. J., III. 1973. Life’s Color Code. New York: McGraw.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hanski, I., and Y. Cambefort, eds. 1991. Dung Beetle Ecology. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heinrich, B. 1974. Thermoregulation in bumblebees. I. Brood incubation by Bombus vosnesenskii queens. J. Comp. Physiol. 88:129–140.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heinrich, B., and G. A. Bartholomew. 1979. Roles of endothermy and size in inter-and intraspecific competition for elephant dung in an African dung beetle, Scarabaeus laevistriatus. Physiol. Zool. 52:484–496.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heinrich, B., and M. J. Heinrich. 1983. Heterothermia in foraging workers and drones of the bumblebee Bombus terricola. Physiol. Zool. 56:563–567.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heinrich, B., and E. McClain. 1986. “Laziness” and hypothermia as a foraging strategy in flower scarabs (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). Physiol. Zool. 59:273–282.

    Google Scholar 

  • Henwood, K. 1975a. Infrared transmittance as an alternative thermal strategy in the desert beetle Onyymacris plana. Science 189:993–994.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Henwood, K. 1975b. A field-tested thermoregulation model for two diurnal Namib Desert tenebrionid beetles. Ecology 56:1329–1342.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hölldobler, B. 1972. Behavioral adaptations of beetles to ecological niches in ant colonies. Verhandlungsbericht Dtsch. Zool. Ges. 65:137–144.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holm, E., and E. B. Edney. 1973. Daily activity of Namib Desert arthropods in relation to climate. Ecology 54:45–56.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kenagy, G. J., and R. D. Stevenson. 1982. Role of body temperature in the seasonality of daily activity in tenebrionid beetles of eastern Washington. Ecology 63:1491–1503.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Koch, C. 1961. Some aspects of abundant life in the vegetationless sand of the Namib Desert dunes. J. Sw. Afr. Sci. Soc. 15:8–34.

    Google Scholar 

  • Koch, C. 1962. The tenebrionidae of Southern Africa. XXXI. Comprehensive notes on the tenebrionid fauna of the Namib Desert. Ann. Transv. Mus. 24:61–106.

    Google Scholar 

  • Krogh, A., and E. Zeuthen. 1941. The mechanism of flight preparation in some insects. J. Exp. Biol. 18:1–10.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leston, D., J. W. S. Pringle, and D. C. S. White. 1965. Muscular activity during preparation for flight in a beetle. J. Exp. Biol. 42:409–414.

    Google Scholar 

  • Machin, K. E., J. W. S. Pringle, and M. Tamasige. 1962. The physiology of insect fibrillar muscle. IV. The effect of temperature on a beetle flight muscle. Proc. Roy. Soc. Lend. B155:493–499.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marden, J. H. 1987. In pursuit of females: Following and contest behavior by males of a Namib Desert tenebrionid beetle, Physadesmia globosa. Ethology 75:15–24.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • May, M. L., D. L. Pearson, and T. M. Casey. 1986. Oxygen consumption of active and inactive adult tiger beetles. Physiol. Entomol. 11:171–179.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McClain, E., C. J. Kok, and A. G. Monard. 1991. Reflective wax blooms on black Namib Desert beetles enhance day activity. Naturwissenschaften 78:40–42.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McClain, E., R. L. Praetorius, S. A. Hanrahan, and M. K. Seeley. 1984a. Dynamics of the wax bloom of a seasonal Namib Desert tenebrionid, Cauricara phalangium (Coleoptera: Adesmiini). Oecologia (Berlin) 63:314–319.

    Google Scholar 

  • McClain, E., M. J. Savage, and K. Nott. 1984b. Reflectivity of the cuticle of the Namib Desert tenebrionid, Cauricara phalangium,with a wax bloom. S. Afr. J. Sci. 80:183–184.

    Google Scholar 

  • McClain, E., M. K. Seeley, N. F. Hadley, and V. Gray. 1985. Wax blooms in tenebrionid beetles of the Namib Desert: Correlates with environment. Ecology 66:112–118.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morgan, K. R. 1985. Body temperature regulation and terrestrial activity in the ectothermic beetle Cicindela tranquebarica. Physiol. Zool. 58:29–37.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morgan, K. R. 1987. Temperature regulation, energy metabolism, and matesearching in rain beetles (Plecoma spp.), winter-active, endothermic scarabs (Coleoptera). J. Exp. Biol. 128:107–122.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morgan, K. R., and G. A. Bartholomew. 1982. Homeothermic response to reduced ambient temperature in a scarab beetle. Science 216:1409–1411.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Moser, J. C., and W. A. Thompson. 1986. Temperature thresholds related to flight of Endroctonus frontalis Zimm (Col.: Scolytidae) Agronomie 6:905–910.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nicolson, S. W. 1987. Absence of endothermy in flightless dung beetles from southern Africa. S. Afr. J. Zool. 22:323–324.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nicolson, S. W., G. A. Bartholomew, and M. K. Seely. 1984. Ecological correlates of locomotion speed, morphometrics and body temperature in three Namib Desert tenebrionid beetles. S. Afr. J. Zool. 19:131–134.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nicolson, S. W., and G. N. Louw. 1980. Preflight thermogenesis, conductance and thermoregulation in the Protea beetle, Trichostetha fascicularis (Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae). S. Afr. J. Sci. 76:124–126.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oertli, J. J. 1989. Relationship of wing beat frequency and temperature during take-off flight in temperate-zone beetles. J. Exp. Biol. 145:321–338.

    Google Scholar 

  • Paarmann, W., L. Erbeling, and K. Spinnler. 1986. Ant and ant brood preying larvae: An adaptation of carabid beetles to arid environment. In Carabid Beetles: Their Adaptations and Dynamics,P. J. den Boer, M. L. Luff, F. Mossakowsi, and F. Weber, pp. 79–90. Stuttgart, New York: Gustav Fisher.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pearson, D. L., and C. B. Knisley. 1985. Evidence for food as a limiting resource in the life cycle of tiger beetles (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae). Oikos 45:161–168.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pearson, D. L., and E. J. Mury. 1979. Character divergence and convergence among tiger beetles (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae). Ecology 60:557–566.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pearson, D. L., and S. L. Stemberger. 1980. Competition, body size, and the relative energy balance of adult tiger beetles (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae). Am. Midl. Nat. 104:373–377.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roberts, C. S., D. Mitchell, M. K. Seeley, and E. L. McClain. 1991. Beetling the heat: The thermal significance of running in O. plana. Unpublished manuscript.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sato, H., and M. Imamori 1988. Further observations on the nesting behaviour of a subsocial ball-rolling scarab, Kheper aegyptiorum. KontyĂ» (Tokyo) 56:873–878.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schneider, P. 1980. Contributions to flight physiology in beetles. 4. Body temperature, flight behavior and wing beat frequency. Zool. Anz. (Jena) 205:1–19.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schultz, T. D., and N. F. Hadley. 1987a. Microhabitat segregation and physiological differences in co-occurring tiger beetle species, Cicindela oregona and Cicindela tranquebarica. Oecologia (Berlin) 73:363–370.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schultz, T. D., and N. F. Hadley. 1987b. Structural colors of tiger beetles and their role in heat transfer through the integument. Physiol. Zool. 60:737–745.

    Google Scholar 

  • Seely, M. K., and D. Mitchell. 1987. Is the subsurface environment of the Namib Desert dunes a thermal haven for chthonic beetles? S. Afr. J. Zool. 22:57–61.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thiele, H. V. 1977. Carabid Beetles in Their Environments. Berlin, Heidelberg, New York: Springer.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Turner, J. S., and A. T. Lombard. 1990. Body color and body temperature in white and black Namib Desert beetles. J. Arid Environ. 19:303–315.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wharton, R. A. 1980. Colouration and diurnal activity patterns in some Namib Desert Zophosini (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). J. Arid Environ. 3:309–317.

    Google Scholar 

  • Young, O. R. 1984. Perching of neotropical dung beetles on leaf surfaces: An example of behavioral thermoregulation? Biotropica 16:324–327.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors
  1. Bernd Heinrich
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1993 Bernd Heinrich

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Heinrich, B. (1993). Beetles Large and Small. In: The Hot-Blooded Insects. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-10340-1_6

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-10340-1_6

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-662-10342-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-662-10340-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation