Conservation of threatened animals is frequently limited by lack of knowledge about their ecological preferences, and often artificial feeding is one of the few chances to save endangered species. We investigated the possibility to artificially feed two endangered flat bark beetles dependent on dead wood for their diet—namely, Cucujus cinnaberinus (Scopoli, 1763) and Cucujus haematodes Erichson, 1845—by examining their dietary preferences, life cycle duration, and survival in laboratory conditions. Individuals of the two species were caught in the wild and larvae and adults were fed in laboratory conditions by live or dead prey. Three species of saproxylic beetles: two cerambycids (Acanthocinus griseus Fabricius, 1793 and Rhagium inquisitor Linnaeus, 1758), one scolytid (Ips sexdentatus Börner, 1776) one tenebrionid (Tenebrio molitor (Linnaeus, 1758)) one dipteran (Lucilia sericata (Meigen, 1826)) and one ant (Lasius sp. Fabricius, 1804) were used as prey, with minced meat as a control. Our results indicated high survival and no difference in prey choice between the two flat beetle species. Larvae and adults preferred dead prey, but no significant preference was detected among dead prey taxa, supporting the hypothesis that the two species are opportunistic scavengers. Comparing data with previous results, both species and their developmental stages should be classified as obligate saproxylic organisms with preference to the dead and decaying organic material. Successful artificial feeding and rearing of these endangered species, followed by the release in the wild through rescue or reintroduction programs, therefore appear relevant for their protection and future conservation.

中文翻译：

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人工喂养和实验室饲养濒危的甲虫甲虫作为昆虫保护的工具

对濒临灭绝动物的保护常常因缺乏对它们的生态偏好的了解而受到限制，通常人工喂养是拯救濒临灭绝物种的少数机会之一。我们通过检查他们的饮食偏好，生命周期持续时间和实验室存活率，研究了人工喂养两只濒临灭绝的扁平树皮甲虫的可能性，这些甲壳虫是依靠枯木来饮食的，它们分别是Cucujus cinnaberinus（Scopoli，1763）和Cucujus haematodes Erichson，1845条件。这两个物种的个体被捕获在野外和幼体中，成虫在实验室条件下被活的或死的猎物喂养。三种Saproxylic甲虫：两个cerambycids（Acanthocinus griseus Fabricius，1793年和Rhagium inquisitor林奈，1758），一个scolytid（Ips的sexdentatus伯尔纳，1776）一个tenebrionid（黄粉虫（林奈，1758））一个双翅目（丝光绿蝇（蝇，1826））和一个蚁（Lasiussp。Fabricius，1804年）被用作猎物，碎肉作为对照。我们的结果表明，两种扁平甲虫物种的成活率很高，并且在猎物选择上没有差异。幼虫和成虫更喜欢死猎物，但是死猎物类群中没有发现明显的偏爱，这支持了两个物种是机会性拾荒者的假设。将数据与以前的结果进行比较，应将物种及其发育阶段归类为专性腐胺生物，而优先考虑死亡和腐烂的有机物质。成功地人工喂养和饲养这些濒危物种，然后通过营救或再引入计划将其释放到野外，因此看来对它们的保护和未来保护至关重要。