Food intake and number of eggs laid by the carrion beetle, Eusilpha japonica (Coleoptera: Silphinae), collected using pitfall traps

Abstract

The carrion beetle, Eusilpha japonica, is a carrion feeder that roams on forest floors searching for carrion. A field survey using pitfall traps with putrefied meat or without meat was carried out to examine the effect of carrion odor on the attraction of adults in the cedar forest. The sex distribution of the beetles captured in the pitfall traps suggested that the carrion odor might attract females more strongly than males. The distribution pattern showed that males might search for mates as well as for food. The daily food intake of adults collected in the field was measured in the laboratory. Lone females fed on the meat twice as much as lone males. A positive relationship between the cumulative quantity of food intake until the first brood and the clutch size suggested that the quantity of food intake during the pre-oviposition period was critical.