Abstract: Carabus clatratus is currently known as highly threatened and/or extinct at a European level due to the loss of its habitat, represented by wetlands, to which it is closely linked. In southern Europe, this is much more serious due to the effective adult predation by the alien and invasive crustacean Procambarus clarkii, introduced from the United States of America since the 1980s and now rapidly expanding its range. In an extreme attempt to preserve the Italian native populations of the subspecies C. clatratus antonellii, an effective mass rearing method was developed in 2009. This method, that allowed to record new important data on the biology of the species, is described in detail. Contrary to what is reported in the literature, C. clatratus showed a very high reproductive potential, with an average of 82.8 eggs laid by each female per season. The low prolificacy erroneously attributed to it was wrongly considered a contributing cause of the rarefaction and/or extinction of some of its populations, while the new findings make us focus on other causes. The knowledge of the effective reproductive potential is also important for a better implementation of mass rearings and introduction programs as a function of potential offspring. The duration of the various stages of pre-imaginal development of C. clatratus, from the hatching of the larva to the emergence and appearance of the adults on the ground, is compared with that of another congeneric species living in an extremely unstable habitat (C. stenocephalus susicus) resulting, however, surprisingly even shorter. I hope that other entomologists and conservation biologists will also try their hand at rearing this species (where still present) in an attempt to save it from extinction. Implications for insect conservation: The new data obtained on the biology and fecundity of C. clatratus, as well as the issues encountered after its release, can be exploited for future initiatives for the species conservation.
Carabus clatratus (Coleoptera: Carabidae): study case of mass rearing and release of a threatened species with new details on its life history
Busato E.
First
2022-01-01
Abstract
Abstract: Carabus clatratus is currently known as highly threatened and/or extinct at a European level due to the loss of its habitat, represented by wetlands, to which it is closely linked. In southern Europe, this is much more serious due to the effective adult predation by the alien and invasive crustacean Procambarus clarkii, introduced from the United States of America since the 1980s and now rapidly expanding its range. In an extreme attempt to preserve the Italian native populations of the subspecies C. clatratus antonellii, an effective mass rearing method was developed in 2009. This method, that allowed to record new important data on the biology of the species, is described in detail. Contrary to what is reported in the literature, C. clatratus showed a very high reproductive potential, with an average of 82.8 eggs laid by each female per season. The low prolificacy erroneously attributed to it was wrongly considered a contributing cause of the rarefaction and/or extinction of some of its populations, while the new findings make us focus on other causes. The knowledge of the effective reproductive potential is also important for a better implementation of mass rearings and introduction programs as a function of potential offspring. The duration of the various stages of pre-imaginal development of C. clatratus, from the hatching of the larva to the emergence and appearance of the adults on the ground, is compared with that of another congeneric species living in an extremely unstable habitat (C. stenocephalus susicus) resulting, however, surprisingly even shorter. I hope that other entomologists and conservation biologists will also try their hand at rearing this species (where still present) in an attempt to save it from extinction. Implications for insect conservation: The new data obtained on the biology and fecundity of C. clatratus, as well as the issues encountered after its release, can be exploited for future initiatives for the species conservation.
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