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Animalia >Arthropoda >Insecta >Coleoptera >Passalidae >Cylindrocaulus >

The Japanese passalid beetles Cylindrocaulus patalis live in tunnels they excavate in fallen trees and feed on the surrounding wood. This species is known for its subsocial behavior. A heterosexual pair and their larvae live together. The parents feed the larvae and help them construct pupal cells. What C. patalis parents feed on their larvae has been unknown; my observation, however, has revealed that parents regurgitate wood they have eaten and feed the regurgitated food to the larvae mouth to mouth.
Video pictures
1. A larva rubs its head against its parent as if it were begging for food. The parent faces the larva and feeds the larva mouth to mouth.
2. A magnified view of mouth-to-mouth feeding. You can see wood chips being regurgitated from the mouth of the parent.

(Data No.momo021121cp01b)

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