Estimation of the dispersal ability of Melanotus okinawensis (Coleoptera: Elateridae) larvae in soil

Abstract

The dispersal distance of the larvae of the sugarcane click beetle Melanotus okinawensis Ohira (Coleoptera: Elateridae) in soil was estimated using the mark-recapture method. Grid lines with 30-cm intervals were set 10×10 in a fallow field after sugarcane harvest. Sixty marked larvae were released twice at the center of the grid. The tip of the corneous process on the last abdominal segment was cut and used for marking. Germinating rice seed baits were placed at the 10×10 intersection points of grid lines at a depth of 10 cm in order to recapture larvae. All traps were examined at two-day intervals. The estimate of lifetime natural mean dispersal distance (±SE) was 105.6 (±20.1) cm. The estimate of the natural survival rate per day was 0.861. The diffusion coefficient was estimated to be 613.