Minimum Cost of Transport and Ventilatory Patterns in Three African Beetles

Abstract

Minimum cost of pedestrian transport ( ) was determined by treadmill running and flow-through oxygen respirometry in three species of flightless beetles, Psammodes striatus, Pachysoma hippocrates, and Anthia fabricii. was 1.67, 4.76, and 2.15 ml O₂/(g • km) (where g • km = ml O₂/[kg • m]), respectively, in these three species, which have typical masses of 2.9, 3.1, and 2.2 g, respectively. Extrapolations of vertebrate-based regressions of on mass predict similar values of given these masses. When combined with those for mammals and birds <1,000 g, all published data on insects are related to mass by the equation , where M is in kg and is in ml O₂/(g • km). All species ventilated discontinuously while at rest.