Blaine:

That is a normal habitat for the species in AZ; they are in other spathe
type flowers further south.  I have not heard whether Datura are warm
flowers, but I wouldn't doubt that "cooler" flowers would be prime habitat
on those 40C nights in the Sonoran desert!

Cheers,

Bill
----- Original Message -----
From: "Blaine Mathison" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, November 20, 2003 12:04 PM
Subject: Re: interesting new scarab paper...


> This is interesting.  Recently (mid-late October), I saw Cyclocephala
melanocephala resting in Datura flowers, outside the Phoenix area in AZ.
> Blaine
>
> Blaine Mathison
> Infectious Diseases Laboratory
> Arizona Dept. of Health Services
> 1520 W. Adams
> Phoenix, AZ  85007
> phone:  (602) 542-6132
> fax:  (602) 542-0760
> email:  [log in to unmask]
>
> >>> [log in to unmask] 11/20/03 08:47AM >>>
> If you wanted to find out more about why those Cyclocephala like to
> hang out in Philodendron flowers, check out this note:
>
> Seymour, R. S., C. R. White, and M. Gibernau (20 November 2003)
> Nature 426: 243 - 244.
>
> In neotropical forests, adults of many large scarab beetle species
> spend most of their time inside the floral chambers of heat-producing
> flowers, where they feed and mate throughout the night and rest
> during the following day, before briefly flying to another flower.
> Here we measure floral temperatures in Philodendron solimoesense
> (Araceae) in French Guiana and the respiration rates of Cyclocephala
> colasi beetles at floral and ambient temperatures, and show that the
> beetles' extra energy requirements for activity are 2.0-4.8 times
> greater outside the flower than inside it. This finding indicates
> that heat produced by the flower constitutes an important energy
> reward to pollinators, allowing them to feed and mate at a fraction
> of the energy cost that would be required outside the flower.
>
> See the rest of the note at:
>
>
http://www.nature.com/cgi-taf/DynaPage.taf?file=/nature/journal/v426/n6964/full/426243a_fs.html
>
> Sincerely,
> Andrew
> --
> <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
> Andrew B. T. Smith
> Research Assistant Professor
> University of Nebraska State Museum
> W436 Nebraska Hall
> University of Nebraska
> Lincoln, NE 68588-0514  U.S.A.
>
> Phone:  (402) 472-2664
> Fax:    (402) 472-8949
> E-mail: [log in to unmask]
> http://www-museum.unl.edu/research/entomology/index.htm
>
> SUBSCRIBE TO SCARABS-L AT:
> http://crcvms.unl.edu/htbin/wa?SUBED1=scarabs-l&A=1
> <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>