Diel Activity of an Intertidal Beetle, Dicheirotrichus gustavi Crotch

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Abstract
During tidal emergence adult beetles exhibit well defined nocturnal activity. Maximum numbers appear on the soil surface after dusk and then decline, exponentially, until dawn when the remaining individuals disappear abruptly into soil cavities. This circadian activity (which does not appear to involve tidal or semi-lunar rhythms) ensures that the majority of the population avoid direct submergence during the 1st few tidal coverages of the saltmarsh surface during a sequence of rising tides. After 2 or more tidal inundations the nocturnal surface activity is suppressed and the beetles remain continuously subterranean. Reversion to nocturnal surface activity occurs after an absence of 2 consecutive tidal submergences.

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