Seasonal consumption of insects by the crested porcupine in Central Italy
-
Emiliano Mori
,
Milos Di Gregorio
Abstract
Many herbivorous, granivorous and frugivorous rodents can integrate animal proteins in their diet, still for many of them no information is available on the importance of animal food sources. The crested porcupine, Hystrix cristata, is considered a strictly vegetarian rodent. It may integrate animal proteins through bone-gnawing, while the importance of insects in his diet is poorly known. In this study we assessed the presence of insects in the diet of this rodent in Central Italy by collecting 141 faecal samples along transects in 2016–2020. Hypogeal plant organs were the main component of the diet (absolute frequency = 50.38%; volume = 60.13%). Insects were detected only in 6.8% samples, only in February–March, at the annual birth peak for the crested porcupine. Insect consumption, although occasional, could be linked to the nutritional requirements of this rodent during lactation.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Prof. Sandro Lovari and Prof. F. Ferretti for the help provided in data analyses. Dr. Mattia Menchetti identified ants. Two anonymous reviewers kindly took the time to provide useful comments on this manuscript.
Author contribution: All authors conceived this work, collected samples, carried out analyses and participated in writing up all drafts.
Research funding: None declared.
Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest regarding this article.
References
Allsopp, P.G. (1980). The biology of false wireworms and their adults (soil-inhabiting Tenebrionidae) (Coleoptera): a review. Bull. Entomol. Res. 70: 343–379. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0007485300007628.Suche in Google Scholar
Barreto, G.R. and Quintana, R.D. (2013). Foraging strategies and feeding habits of capybaras. In: Moreira, J.R., Ferraz, K.M.P.M.B., Herrera, E.A., and Macdonald, D.W. (Eds.), Capybara. New York, NY, USA: Springer, pp. 83–96.10.1007/978-1-4614-4000-0_4Suche in Google Scholar
Bocci, A., Lovari, S., Khan, M.Z., and Mori, E. (2017). Sympatric snow leopard and Tibetan wolves: coexistence of large carnivores with human-driven potential competition. Eur. J. Wildl. Res. 63: 92. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-017-1151-0.Suche in Google Scholar
Bruno, E. and Riccardi, C. (1995). The diet of the crested porcupine Hystrix cristata L., 1758 in a Mediterranean rural area. Zeitschr. Säugetierk. 60: 226–236.Suche in Google Scholar
Càceres, I., Esteban-Nadal, M., Bennàsar, M., Marìn Monfort, M.D., Pesquero, M.D., and Fernàndez-Jalvo, Y. (2013). Osteophagia and dental wear in herbivores: actualistic data and archaeological evidence. J. Archaeol. Sci. 40: 3105–3116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2013.04.006.Suche in Google Scholar
Carlson, A.J. (1940). Eating of bone by the pregnant and lactating gray squirrel. Science 91: 573. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.91.2372.573-a.Suche in Google Scholar
Cerri, J., Mori, E., Vivarelli, M., and Zaccaroni, M. (2017). Are wildlife value orientations useful tools to explain tolerance and illegal killing of wildlife by farmers in response to crop damage?. Eur. J. Wildl. Res. 63: 70. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-017-1127-0.Suche in Google Scholar
Coppola, F., Guerrieri, D., Simoncini, A., Varuzza, P., Vecchio, G., and Felicioli, A. (2020). Evidence of scavenging behaviour in crested porcupine. Sci. Rep. 10: 12297. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-69252-z.Suche in Google Scholar
Díaz-Ruiz, F., de Diego, N., Santamaría, A.E., Domínguez, J.C., Galgo, A., García, J.T., Olea, P.P., and Viñuela, J. (2018). Direct evidence of scavenging behaviour in the garden dormouse (Eliomys quercinus). Mammalia 82: 486–489. https://doi.org/10.1515/mammalia-2017-0087.Suche in Google Scholar
Duthie, A.G. and Skinner, J.D. (1986). Osteophagia in the Cape porcupine Hystrix africaeaustralis. South Afr. J. Zool. 21: 316–318. https://doi.org/10.1080/02541858.1986.11448005.Suche in Google Scholar
Ettiss, K., Chammen, M., and Khorchani, T. (2020). Food preferences of the Crested Porcupine Hystrix cristata L., 1758 (Rodentia: Hystricoidea) in South-Eastern Tunisia. Acta Zool. Bulg. 72: 37–42.Suche in Google Scholar
Grasman, B.T. and Hellgren, E.C. (1993). Phosphorus nutrition in white‐tailed deer: nutrient balance, physiological responses, and antler growth. Ecology 74: 2279–2296. https://doi.org/10.2307/1939581.Suche in Google Scholar
Hafeez, S., Khan, G.S., Ashfaq, M., and Khan, Z.H. (2011). Food habits of the Indian crested porcupine (Hystrix indica) in Faisalabad, Pakistan. Pak. J. Agric. Sci. 48: 205–210.Suche in Google Scholar
Jackson, J. (1980). The annual diet of the roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) in the New Forest, Hampshire, as determined by rumen content analysis. J. Zool. (Lond.) 192: 71–83.10.1111/j.1469-7998.1980.tb04220.xSuche in Google Scholar
Keis, M., Tammeleht, E., Valdmann, H., and Saarma, U. (2019). Ants in brown bear diet, and discovery of a new ant species for Estonia from brown bear scats. Hystrix 30: 112–119, https://doi.org/10.4404/hystrix–00168-2019.Suche in Google Scholar
Kibii, J.M. (2009). Taphonomic aspects of African porcupines (Hystrix cristata) in the Kenyan highlands. J. Taphon. 7: 21–27.Suche in Google Scholar
Kruuk, H. (1989). The social badger: ecology and behaviour of group-living carnivore (Meles meles). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.Suche in Google Scholar
Kruuk, H. and Parish, T. (1981). Feeding specialization of the European badger Meles meles in Scotland. J. Anim. Ecol. 50: 773–788. https://doi.org/10.2307/4136.Suche in Google Scholar
Landry, S.O.Jr (1970). The Rodentia as omnivores. Q. Rev. Biol. 45: 351–372. https://doi.org/10.1086/406647.Suche in Google Scholar
Laurenzi, A., Bodino, N., and Mori, E. (2016). Much ado about nothing: assessing the impact of a problematic rodent on agriculture and native trees. Mammal Res 61: 65–72. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13364-015-0248-7.Suche in Google Scholar
Lovari, S., Corsini, M.T., Guazzini, B., Romeo, G., and Mori, E. (2017). Suburban ecology of the crested porcupine in a heavily poached area: a global approach. Eur. J. Wildl. Res. 63: 10. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-016-1075-0.Suche in Google Scholar
Mitchell, G., van Schalkwyk, O.L., and Skinner, J.D. (2005). The calcium and phosphorous content of giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) and buffalo (Syncerus caffer) skeletons. J. Zool. 267: 55–61. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0952836905007247.Suche in Google Scholar
Mori, E., Menchetti, M., Lucherini, M., Sforzi, A., and Lovari, S. (2016). Timing of reproduction and paternal cares in the crested porcupine. Mammal. Biol. 81: 345–349. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mambio.2016.03.004.Suche in Google Scholar
Mori, E., Bozzi, R., and Laurenzi, A. (2017a). Feeding habits of the crested porcupine Hystrix cristata L. 1758 (Mammalia, Rodentia) in a Mediterranean area of Central Italy. Eur. Zool. J. 84: 261–265. https://doi.org/10.1080/24750263.2017.1329358.Suche in Google Scholar
Mori, E., Mazza, G., Galimberti, A., Angiolini, C., and Bonari, G. (2017b). The porcupine as “Little Thumbling”: the role of Hystrix cristata in the spread of Helianthus tuberosus. Biologia 72: 1211–1216. https://doi.org/10.1515/biolog-2017-0136.Suche in Google Scholar
Mori, E., Lovari, S., and Mazza, G. (2018). The bone collector: temporal patterns of bone-gnawing behaviour define osteophagia as a female prerogative in a large rodent. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 72: 89. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-018-2504-8.Suche in Google Scholar
Mori, E., Ancillotto, L., Lovari, S., Russo, D., Nerva, L., Mohamed, W.F., Motro, Y., Di Bari, P., and Plebani, M. (2019a). Skull shape and Bergmann’s rule in mammals: hints from Old World porcupines. J. Zool. 308: 47–55. https://doi.org/10.1111/jzo.12651.Suche in Google Scholar
Mori, E., Ferretti, F., and Fattorini, N. (2019b). Alien war: ectoparasite load, diet and temporal niche partitioning in a multi-species assembly of small rodents. Biol. Invasions 21: 3305–3318. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-019-02048-z.Suche in Google Scholar
Pianka, E.R. (1974). Niche overlap and diffuse competition. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 71: 2141–2145. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.71.5.2141.Suche in Google Scholar
Pillay, K.R., Wilson, A.L., Ramesh, T., and Downs, C.T. (2015). Digestive parameters and energy assimilation of Cape porcupine on economically important crops. Afr. Zool. 50: 321–326. https://doi.org/10.1080/15627020.2015.1116373.Suche in Google Scholar
Prigioni, C., Balestrieri, A., and Remonti, L. (2005). Food habits of the coypu, Myocastor coypus, and its impact on aquatic vegetation in a freshwater habitat of NW Italy. Folia Zool. 54: 269.Suche in Google Scholar
Schmidt, C.M. and Hood, W.R. (2012). Calcium availability influences litter size and sex ratio in white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus). PLoS One 7: e41402. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0041402.Suche in Google Scholar
Van Huis, A., Van Itterbeeck, J., Klunder, H., Mertens, E., Halloran, A., Muir, G., and Vantomme, P. (2013). Edible insects: future prospects for food and feed security. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, (No. 171).Suche in Google Scholar
Watts, C.H.S. and Braithwaite, R.W. (1978). The diet of Rattus lutreolus and five other rodents in southern Victoria. Wildl. Res. 5: 47–57. https://doi.org/10.1071/wr9780047.Suche in Google Scholar
White, T.C.R. (2007). Mast seeding and mammal breeding: can a bonanza food supply be anticipated?. New Zeal. J. Zool. 34: 179–183. https://doi.org/10.1080/03014220709510076.Suche in Google Scholar
Woods, C.A. (1973). Erethizon dorsatum. Mammal. Species 29: 1–6. https://doi.org/10.2307/3504036.Suche in Google Scholar
Zavalloni, D. and Castellucci, M. (1994). Analisi dell’areale dell’istrice (Hystrix cristata Linneaus, 1758) in Romagna. Hystrix 5: 53–62.Suche in Google Scholar
© 2020 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- Conservation
- First wolves in Luxembourg since 1893, originating from the Alpine and Central European populations
- Ecology
- Spatial ecology of lions in a small, semi-fenced park surrounded by dense human populations: the case study of Nairobi National Park, Kenya
- Activity patterns of jaguar and puma and their main prey in the Greater Madidi-Tambopata Landscape (Bolivia, Peru)
- The status and ecology of the sand cat in the Uruq Bani Ma’arid Protected Area, Empty Quarter of Saudi Arabia
- The spatio-temporal co-occurrence of free-ranging common fallow deer and domestic caprines on the island of Rhodes, Greece
- Seasonal consumption of insects by the crested porcupine in Central Italy
- Season and habitat affect diversity, abundance and reproductive state of small mammals near Lake Abaya, Ethiopia
- Biogeography
- Peninsular effect on species richness in Italian small mammals and bats
- Small rodent communities (Muridae) in Gabonese savannas: species diversity and biogeographical affinities
- Ethology
- Inter-individual behavioural variation in the crested porcupine
- Taxonomy/phylogeny
- A new species of Cynomops (Chiroptera: Molossidae) from the northwestern slope of the Andes
- Overlooked diversity in Argentine caviomorph rodents: the need to increase field efforts
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- Conservation
- First wolves in Luxembourg since 1893, originating from the Alpine and Central European populations
- Ecology
- Spatial ecology of lions in a small, semi-fenced park surrounded by dense human populations: the case study of Nairobi National Park, Kenya
- Activity patterns of jaguar and puma and their main prey in the Greater Madidi-Tambopata Landscape (Bolivia, Peru)
- The status and ecology of the sand cat in the Uruq Bani Ma’arid Protected Area, Empty Quarter of Saudi Arabia
- The spatio-temporal co-occurrence of free-ranging common fallow deer and domestic caprines on the island of Rhodes, Greece
- Seasonal consumption of insects by the crested porcupine in Central Italy
- Season and habitat affect diversity, abundance and reproductive state of small mammals near Lake Abaya, Ethiopia
- Biogeography
- Peninsular effect on species richness in Italian small mammals and bats
- Small rodent communities (Muridae) in Gabonese savannas: species diversity and biogeographical affinities
- Ethology
- Inter-individual behavioural variation in the crested porcupine
- Taxonomy/phylogeny
- A new species of Cynomops (Chiroptera: Molossidae) from the northwestern slope of the Andes
- Overlooked diversity in Argentine caviomorph rodents: the need to increase field efforts
