Movatterモバイル変換

The sedentary terrestrial larvae of the tiger beetle,Cicindela togata, inhabit areas that are often flooded for days or weeks. We tested the ability of these larvae to survive immersion and anoxia. Maximum survival time of immersed, anoxicC. togata was 6 days at 25 C. Time to 50% mortality (LT₅₀) in these conditions was 85.9 ± 23.5 h. Survival times were more than eight times longer than those of similarly treated larvae ofTenebrio molitor (LT₅₀ 10.1 ± 3.2 h). Similar or somewhat longer survival times were observed in larvae ofC. togata exposed to an anoxic nitrogen atmosphere (LT₅₀ 102 ± 31 h) and ofT. molitor (LT₅₀14.4 ± 6.5 h). At 10 C, LT₅₀ ofC. togata in anoxic atmospheres exceeded 10 days. Tiger beetle larvae are physiologically capable of surviving several days of inundation during floods without mechanisms to prevent burrow flooding. By entering a quiescent state,C. togata larvae survive much longer periods of anoxia than has been previously reported for terrestrial insect larvae.