Opossums and Leopard Frogs Consume the Federally Endangered American Burying Beetle (Coleoptera: Silphidae)

Abstract

The American burying beetle (ABB), Nicrophorus americanus Olivier, has disappeared from more than 90% of its historic range and has been listed as federally endangered since 1989. Prior to its listing, relatively few studies existed documenting ABB ecology and interactions with other animals, including its potential vertebrate predators. Bedick et al. (1999) documented a predation event by a blue jay, Cyanocitta cristata L. Walker and Hoback (2006) presented circumstantial evidence of predation by a bat of a beetle that was equipped with a radio transmitter. Shrews that fall into pitfall traps occasionally eat American burying beetles (W. W. Hoback, personal observation). Further evidence of potential predation by shrews was found in an illustration of a masked shrew consuming an American burying beetle (Zim and Hoffmeister 1955). Herein, we document video surveillance of predation of American burying beetle by Virginia opossum, Didelphis virginiana (Kerr), and pronota and elytra of ABB in feces of the northern plains leopard frog, Lithobates pipiens Schreber. We conducted two studies in the northeastern region of Nebraska’s Sandhills utilizing camcorders to record carrion beetle activity at night on rat (Rattus norvegicus Berkenhout) carcasses. The rat carcasses (approximately 300 g) were secured and could not be buried or removed from the site; however, beetles and some other animals could freely enter or exit the bait stations. Similar stations were used in 2010, but cages were used to eliminate access by opossums. The cages kept opossums out, but did not deter northern plains leopard frogs. Over 230 hrs of video were captured in 2009 and over 500 hrs in 2010, providing novel ABB footage and the opportunity to make behavioral observations. American burying beetle mortality caused by an opossum was confirmed by a video recorded on the