Burrow Insects

Gopher burrows can be regarded as ecological islands: they provide shelter, and relatively constant temperature and humidity. In addition to a series of tunnels, pocket gophers typically construct separate chambers for nesting (Fig. 6) and defecation. Within these tunnels and chambers are found a diverse assemblage of insects including dung (Fig. 7), rove, and hister beetles (Fig. 8 & Fig. 9), cave crickets (Fig. 10), and flies. Most of the insects collected from these burrows are either new to science or are known from very few specimens. Certain morphological features appear to be characteristic of obligate burrow inhabiting taxa. In beetles, it is quite common to find elongate legs (Fig. 7) and antennae. In cave crickets there is typically a reduction in eye structure and pigmentation (Fig. 10). While many burrowing animals leave their burrow entrances open, pocket gophers typically plug their burrow entrances during daylight hours. This behavior makes it much more difficult for diurnally active insects to gain access to these burrow systems. There is some evidence that the surface mounds produced by the gophers visually attract these insects.

A contribution from the Bioinformatics Project Web Editor: Michael D. Hubbard Page last modified on 27 August 2000