Date of Award:

5-1-1969

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

Biology

Department name when degree awarded

Entomology

Committee Chair(s)

Donald W. Davis

Committee

Donald W. Davis

Committee

William H. Klein

Committee

W. J. Hansen

Committee

Orson S. Cannon

Abstract

There has been a considerable difference of opinion as whether the bark inhabiting species of the genus Corticeus are predators or scavengers. This study was initiated to resolve the difference of opinion for one species, C. substriatus (Leconte). The feeding habits of this tenebrionid were investigated in the following ways: (1) by offering the adults and larvae four possible natural foods under conditions where they had to eat them or die of starvation; (2) by offering the foods that the insects ate in the forced feeding tests under conditions where they had a selection between two different foods; and (3) by observing their feeding habits under natural conditions. The forced feeding tests showed that both the larvae and adults would eat the immature stages of the mountain pine beetle, the immature stages of other insects associated with the mountain pine beetle, the blue stain fungus on phloem tissue, and mountain pine beetle frass. The selective feeding tests showed that the tenebrionids had no marked preference for any one of the four foods tested. It was impossible to determine what the adults were feeding on under natural conditions. However, it was observed that the larvae fed on the four foods used in the feeding tests when in their natural environment. The results of the forced feeding and selective feeding test showed that the adult feeding habits are similar to those of the larvae. For this reason, it is believed that they also fed on these foods under natural conditions. C. substraitus is believed to be one of the less important predators of the mountain pine beetle. The degree to which they reduce this bark beetle’s population is beyond the scope of this study, but their influence is probably greater than recorded by several workers.

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