Udodenko Yu.G.1, Seleznev D.G.1, Prokin A.A.1, Ivanova E.S.2, Zemlyanukhin A.I.3 2019. Mercury accumulation in adults of two large species of diving beetles (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) // Russian Entomol. J. Vol.28. No.1: 23–29 [in English].
1 Papanin Institute for Biology of Inland Waters, Russian Academy of Sciences, Borok, Nekouzsky District, Yaroslavl Oblast 152742, Russia.
2 Cherepovets State University, Lunacharskogo 5, Cherepovets, Vologda Oblast 162600, Russia.
3 Semenov-Tian-Shansky Lipetsk State Pedagogical University, Lenina 42, Lipetsk 398020, Russia.
doi: 10.15298/rusentj.28.1.04
ABSTRACT. We have analyzed mercury accumulation in different body parts of two species of diving beetles (Coleoptera, Dytiscidae), Dytiscus circumcinctus and Cybister lateralimarginalis. We have estimated the difference in mercury accumulation for these species and determined the sufficient representative sample. We have revealed broad range of a set of data for C. lateralimarginalis and statistically significant differences in median values of the mercury accumulation between the two species. The differences in median values between species are greater in males than in females; the average values of the data set are equal. The averages of the mercury concentrations in body parts decline in the following order: meso-, metathorax, and abdomen > legs > head and prothorax > elytra and wings. Significant differences in averages of the mercury concentration have been recorded for different female morphs of D. circumcinctus: the mercury concentration in smooth females is higher than in sulcate females, which is determined by the higher mercury concentration in meso-, metathorax, and abdomen.
KEY WORDS: mercury, accumulation, Dytiscidae, Dytiscus, Cybister, body parts, males, female morphs.