Diel activity patterns of alpine carabid beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) differ according to habitat type

Abstract

In lowland areas, carabid beetles show diurnal or nocturnal activity patterns depending on habitat type. However, the diel activity patterns of carabid beetles in alpine areas are poorly understood. We conducted field studies in the alpine area of Mt. Hakusan in central Japan to determine the diel activity patterns of carabid beetles according to habitat type and ground surface temperature. Using baited pitfall traps, we collected samples every three hours over a 24-hour period in the summers of 2015 and 2016 in Pinus scrub, snowbed, and fellfield sites. In both years, the numerically dominant species were Pterostichus janoi Jedlicka, 1952 in the Pinus scrub, Bembidion sp. in the snowbed, and Bembidion sp. and Colpodes xestus (Bates, 1883) in the fellfield. Carabid beetles on alpine Hakusan showed activity patterns that varied depending on habitat type or ground surface temperature. Bembidion sp. showed diurnal activity patterns in the snowbed but nocturnal activity patterns in the fellfield when the diurnal temperature range was large. However, this species was active throughout the day and night in these habitats when the diurnal temperature range was small. By contrast, P. janoi in the Pinus scrub and C. xestus in the fellfield were mainly active nocturnally in both years, regardless of temperature fluctuations. Because alpine areas are generally characterized by harsh and changeable climates, some alpine carabids such as Bembidion sp. are probably adapted to show versatile activity patterns in response to changeable microclimatic conditions.