Relative Abundance of Nicrophorus Pustulatus (Coleoptera: Silphidae) in a Burying Beetle Community, With Notes on its Reproductive Behavior

Recently, there has been considerable interest in competitive interactions between sympatric species of burying beetles (Silphidae, Nicrophorus) which use small (mouseto rat-sized) vertebrate carrion in reproduction (Wilson et al., 1984; Mtiller and Eggert, 1987; Kozol et al., 1988; Trumbo, 1990a, 1990b, 1992). However, the extent of resource competition between N. pustulatus Herschel and other burying beetles has remained enigmatic because N. pustulatus have never been found on small vertebrate carcasses in nature (Wilson et al., 1984; Trumbo, 1990a), and their reproductive behavior is virtually unknown. In this paper I examine the relative abundance of N. pustulatus in an eastern Ontario burying beetle community, as well as its reproductive behavior in the laboratory. My goal is to provide information aimed at improving our understanding of competitive relationships between N. pustulatus and other burying beetles. Burying beetles conceal and defend small vertebrate carrion below ground as a food resource for themselves and their offspring. Males and females attracted to carrion engage in intense intrasexual combat, with the largest male and female usually remaining to bury the carcass (Wilson and Fudge, 1984; Bartlett and Ashworth, 1988). The pair excavate a narrow space around the interred carcass (forming a crypt), strip the carcass of fur or feathers, and cover it with anal secretions that prevent fungal growth