Deliberate alteration of the elytra of Nicrophorus americanus Olivier (Coleoptera: Silphidae) during field surveys alters acoustic characters: Consequences for reproduction and conservation

Beetles of the genus Nicrophorus stridulate to produce sound, presumably as a defensive cue and during pair formation, copulation, nest preparation, and offspring care. Sound is produced by rubbing the pars stridens with the plectra located on the underside of the elytra. During survey efforts for the endangered American burying beetle (Nicrophorus americanus), field crews previously utilized a permanent marking technique known as wing-clipping in which a 3mm segment of the right elytron was removed. We questioned whether this technique could be altering the acoustic characters of stridulation, and whether that alteration could affect fecundity in this endangered animal. We characterized the spectral and temporal characters of the stridulations of N. americanus), and in collaboration with the St. Louis Zoo Center for American Burying Beetle Conservation and the Roger Williams Park Zoo, found that wing-clipping alters both temporal and spectral characters of the stridulatory sounds, and wing-clipped American burying beetle parents exhibited a significant decrease in reproductive success compared to controls. As a result of this study, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has changed its prescribed survey protocol, prohibiting wing clipping as a survey marking technique.