PLoS ONE (Jan 2021)

First observation on the predation of a non-arthropod species by a dung beetle species: The case of Canthon chalybaeus and the snail Bulimulus apodemetes.

  • Claudia M Martín,
  • Andrea Del V Guanuco,
  • Vieyle Cortez,
  • José R Verdú

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0258396
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 16, no. 10
p. e0258396

Abstract

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We described, for the first time, a case of predation of a non-arthropod species by a dung beetle species. Canthon chalybaeus Blanchard, 1843 kills healthy individuals of the terrestrial snail Bulimulus apodemetes (D'Orbigny, 1835) showing an evident pattern of physical aggressiveness in the attacks using the dentate clypeus and the anterior tibiae. The description of this predatory behaviour was complemented with the analysis of the chemical secretions of the pygidial glands of C. chalybaeus, highlighting those main chemical compounds that, due to their potential toxicity, could contribute to death of the snail. We observed a high frequency of predatory interactions reinforcing the idea that predation in dung beetles is not accidental and although it is opportunistic it involves a series of behavioural sophistications that suggest an evolutionary pattern within Deltochilini that should not only be better studied from a behavioural point of view but also phylogenetically.