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Coleoptera

Brett C. Ratcliffe

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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Distribution, Ecology, And Population Dynamics Of The American Burying Beetle [Nicrophorus Americanus Olivier (Coleoptera, Silphidae)] In South-Central Nebraska, Usa, Jon C. Bedick, Brett C. Ratcliffe, W. Wyatt Hoback, Leon G. Higley Mar 2012

Distribution, Ecology, And Population Dynamics Of The American Burying Beetle [Nicrophorus Americanus Olivier (Coleoptera, Silphidae)] In South-Central Nebraska, Usa, Jon C. Bedick, Brett C. Ratcliffe, W. Wyatt Hoback, Leon G. Higley

Brett C. Ratcliffe

The endangered American burying beetle, Nicrophorus americanus Olivier, was previously widespread throughout eastern North America. In the past century numbers of this beetle have drastically declined and currently remnant populations are known from only six states despite intensive surveying efforts conducted for the last nine years. Efforts aimed at discovering and managing remnant populations have been generally limited by a lack of knowledge concerning N. americanus biology. We used baited pitfall traps to define the range of the Gothenburg, Nebraska, population of N. americanus. Using mark-recapture techniques, we estimate that the annual Gothenburg population consists of more than one thousand …


A Biotic Survey And Inventory Of The Dynastine Scarab Beetles Of Mesoamerica, North America, And The West Indies: Review Of A Long-Term, Multicountry Project, Brett C. Ratcliffe, Ronald D. Cave Mar 2012

A Biotic Survey And Inventory Of The Dynastine Scarab Beetles Of Mesoamerica, North America, And The West Indies: Review Of A Long-Term, Multicountry Project, Brett C. Ratcliffe, Ronald D. Cave

Brett C. Ratcliffe

This biotic inventory will document the species-level diversity of dynastine scarabs, their spatial and temporal distributions, ecological preferences, and biology. The long term, multi-country research project explores a biotically megadiverse region that is seriously at risk from deforestation, environmental homogenization, invasive species, and urban sprawl. Objectives of this survey are: 1) to understand the biodiversity of dynastine scarab beetles in Mesoamerica; 2) disseminate this information in print and electronic forms; 3) train students, parataxonomists, and collection managers in the study area about dynastine taxonomy and identification, care of collections, dissemination of information, and conservation; and 4) assemble authoritatively identified voucher …