How have poisonous arthropods evolved tolerance for predator digestive systems?

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K06073
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 39050:Insect science-related
• Research Institution: Kobe University
• Principal Investigator: Sugiura Shinji 神戸大学, 農学研究科, 准教授 (70399377)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 山崎 一夫 地方独立行政法人 大阪健康安全基盤研究所, 微生物部, 主幹研究員 (30332448)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 被食防衛 / カエル類 / 甲虫類

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Previous studies have investigated how prey animals can defend against predators before or during an attack. To elucidate how prey can escape from predators after being captured, we investigated the defensive behaviors of various insect species against frogs under laboratory conditions. We found that an aquatic beetle species, Regimbartia attenuata (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae), can actively escape from the vent of a frog through the digestive tract. Additionally, we found that several other beetle species are also regurgitated alive after being attacked by frogs. These beetles may have high tolerance for the digestive fluids of frogs. Furthermore, our experiments suggest that they use their defensive chemicals or legs to escape from inside frogs.

Free Research Field

昆虫生態学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

昆虫類が捕食者体内から生きて脱出する行動は、成果発表後にScience、New York Times、読売新聞、報道ステーション等、100以上のメディアに記事として取り上げられた。社会的インパクトの強さを示すオルトメトリクス値（Altmetric）は、マメガムシの論文（Sugiura 2020 Current Biology）で2812（2024年6月2日現在：全論文の上位0.01%）、オデコフタオビドロバチの論文（Sugiura and Tsujii 2022 Current Biology）で969（上位0.07%）を記録し、学術界においても一般社会にも高い関心を集めた。