The effects of prey movement, size and colour in the attack/avoidance behaviour of the tiger beetle Cephalota circumdata leonschaeferi (Cassola) (Coleoptera Cicindelidae)

An examination has been made of factors triggering attack behaviour in adult Cephalota circumdata leonschaeferi (Cassola), living in the coastal strip of the Orbetello Lagoon Nature Reserve. Coloured dummies (blue, white, brown, black, red, and green) of various sizes (3.8, 7.5, 15 and 30 mm) have been used to evaluate the rôle of the following stimuli: movement, size and colour. Attacks recorded with experiments carried out in absence of movement (3.83%) were markedly fewer than those in presence (57.26%) of movement. The size of bait most frequently attacked by Tiger beetles was the 7.5-mm long one (corresponding to 1/2 the size of the adult Cephalota). The largest bait (30 mm) was significantly less stimulating than the other three sizes. Red was the colour that most stimulated attack and white the least. Brown and black gave results more similar to those of red, whereas green and blue frequently displayed a significantly less stimulatory effect. The two sexes displayed differences of reaction to the baits. Females always attacked more than males, and this differences was significant for the three smallest bait sizes, but not for the largest. © 1992 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.