External marking of terrestrial isopods (Isopoda, Oniscidea): efficiency of materials and influence on feeding behavior

Abstract

Many monitoring studies use marking techniques to obtain dispersal data on individuals. Marking procedures may influence the vital activities of the terrestrial isopods, such as feeding behavior. The objective of this study was to identify the efficiency of different materials for external marking of woodlice and the influence on their feeding performance. Cyanoacrylate glue + glitter and nail polish were used as separate marking materials on three species: Balloniscus glaber, Benthana picta and Armadillidium vulgare. The material efficiency was compared using Kaplan-Meier curves and Log-Rank analysis. Individuals were fed with leaf discs of Machaerium stipitatum for feeding performance trials, and consumption rates were compared using ANOVA (α<0.05). There was no difference in durability between the materials used for external markings, except between marked and unmarked Benthana specimens when the observation period exceeded 15 days (Log-Rank=8.446, p=0.015). Nail polish was considered more suitable for feeding experiments. Statistical differences in consumption rates were observed only between the marked individual treatments of Benthana (ANOVA, F=7.5440, p=0.0002). These results indicate that external marking does not affect the feeding habits of the animals and suggest that this technique can be used to monitor dispersal of terrestrial isopods in field conditions for approximately 15 days.

Molecular tracking of insect dispersal to verify arthropod predator movement from an alfalfa field to a peach orchard

“…A wide range of marking techniques have been developed to evaluate the dispersal patterns of arthropods (Lavandero et al, 2004;di Lascio et al, 2016;Madeira and Pons, 2016;Jiao et al, 2019;Kenne et al, 2019;Tavares et al, 2019;Hagler and Machtley, 2020). El Sheikha (2019) reviews the advantages and disadvantages of several tracking techniques.…”

Avoidance behaviour toxicity tests should account for animal gregariousness: a case study on the terrestrial isopod Porcellio scaber

“…In the case of two animals per arena only one animal was marked. It was reported previously that some external markers (e.g., nail polish) may affect diurnal activity and food consumption in some isopod species ( Drahokoupilová and Tuf 2012 ; Kenne et al 2019 ). However, our previous experiments have shown that the marking we used is less persistent and has no effect on animal activity.…”