Coleopteran burrows from foreshore settings in Florianópolis, Brazil

Abstract

While insects are versatile animals capable of occupying harsh environmental conditions, not many are present in the marine environment, and has generally been discounted as trace makers in such settings. During the intra-congress field trip of ICHNIA 2024, however, we observed multiple surficial burrows on foreshore sediments that were constructed by beetle larvae. While there are several reports of insect burrows from backshores, eolian dunes, salt marshes, tidal creeks, washover fans, and distributary channels, we are not aware of ichnological studies of these burrows from the foreshore. Moreover, some of these studies failed to identify or mention the entity of the trace makers, and have not stressed enough the significance of burrowing marine insects on palichnology and paleoecology. Some entomologists on the other hand have recognized insects in marine environments, and some insect groups (such as Coleoptera and Diptera) have burrowing larvae in brackish to marine environments. Understanding the burrow morphologies of marine insects compared to freshwater insects or other marine invertebrates may help us understand the ecological significance and evolutionary history of insects in marine habitats.