Seed-Caching by Larvae of Two Ground Beetles, Harpalus pensylvanicus and H. erraticus1,2

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Abstract
During a study of the biology of carabids found in cropland (Kirk 1971, 1972), I found many fields where some larvae of Harpalus pensylvanicus De Geer and H. erraticus Say had accumulated a supply of grass seed in their burrows. However, I have found no mention in the literature of any caching by carabid larvae, though the adults of some other species do collect seeds and deposit them underground. For example, Ditomus spp. in southern Europe (Burmeister 1939, Kühnelt 1970) gather seeds, especially of grasses. Also, Manley (1971) showed that Synuchus impunctatus (Say) caches seeds of Melampyrum lineare Lamarck in Michigan woodland (in South Dakota, this insect is commonly found under logs and stones in wooded areas during July–August, but not in cropland).

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