A list of coleoptera recorded in Mixed Forest habitat in Arabuko-Sokoke Forest, Kenya

John Banks1, Laban Njoroge2, Colin Jackson3, Elizabeth Reyes-Gallegos4, Judith Ochieng3, Lawrence Monda2

1 Undergraduate Research Opportunities Center (UROC), 100 Campus Center, Seaside, CA  93955, , United States; 2 National Museums of Kenya, P.O Box 40658, 00100, Nairobi, Kenya; 3 A Rocha Kenya, P.O Box 383, 80202, Watamu, Kenya; 4 California State University, Monterey Bay, , United States

Corresponding author(s): John Banks (jebanks@csumb.edu)Laban Njoroge (lnjoroge@museums.or.ke)Colin Jackson (colin.jackson@arocha.org)Elizabeth Reyes-Gallegos (ereyesgallegos@csumb.edu)Judith Ochieng (judithadhiambo85@gmail.com)

Received {date}; Revised {date}; Accepted {date}; Published {date}

Citation: Combination of authors, year of data paper publication (in parentheses), Title, Journal Name, Volume, Issue number (in parentheses), and doi of the data paper.

Resource Citation

Banks J, Njoroge L, Jackson C, Reyes-Gallegos E, Ochieng J (2019): A list of coleoptera recorded in Mixed Forest habitat in Arabuko-Sokoke Forest, Kenya. v1.6. A Rocha Kenya. Dataset/Samplingevent. http://ipt.museums.or.ke/ipt/resource?r=coleop&v=1.6

Abstract

Arabuko-Sokoke Forest, located just south of Gede in Kilifi County, Kenya, has been studied by biologists for over 100 years yet there is still much that is unknown regarding the biodiversity of this globally important forest. This list represents 39 coleopteran species recorded within the boundaries of the Mixed Forest habitat near the Gede Forest Station both inside and outside of the electric elephant fence. Specimens were collected in April and May, 2009 using pitfall and malaise traps. They were identified to the most specific taxon rank possible at the National Museums of Kenya. Of particular note are Crepidogaster hubenthali (Carabidae) and Cryptochile elegans (Tenebrionidae) which are considered endemic to the Kenyan coastal forests.

Keywords: beetles, Coleoptera, pitfall, malaise, Arabuko-Sokoke, coastal forest, Kenya, Arocha, Mixed forest, Habitat

General description

Purpose: The data are published to provide managers, researchers and interested members of the public a baseline list of coleoptera species found in Mixed Forest habitat of a Kenyan coastal forest. This list provides a baseline for further research – whether to fill in gaps of species not captured here, or for comparison with other forests. It further highlights species of conservation concern that occur in Arabuko-Sokoke and thus the raises the international importance of conserving the forest.

Project details

Project title: Arthropods and East Coast Akalats in Arabuko-Sokoke Forest, Kenya
Personnel: John Banks, Laban Njoroge, Colin Jackson, Elizabeth Reyes-Gallegos, Judith Ochieng, Lawrence Monda
Funding: The data collection and analysis were funded by a University of Washington
Royalty Research Fund Scholar & Research Grant. The final formatting and digitisation of checklist was funded by the European Union through the Biodiversity Information for Development project of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (project ref. BID-AF2017-0274-NAC) https://bid.gbif.org/en/calls/africa-2017/national-grants/
Study area descriptions/descriptor: Arabuko-Sokoke Forest is the largest remaining patch of indigenous coastal forest in East Africa. It is located south of Malindi on the north coast of Kenya at 03° 20’ S, 39° 50’ E. It predominantly consists of three distinct forest habitat types. Cynometra Forest, Brachystegia Woodland and Mixed Forest. The Mixed Forest covers an area of c.7,000 ha (17%) and occurs on the eastern side of the forest. It has a diverse tree flora including Afzelia quanzensis (formerly dominant), Hymenaea verrucosa, Combretum schumannii and Manilkara sansibarensis and the cycad Encephalartos hildebrandtii.

Data published through GBIF: http://ipt.museums.or.ke/ipt/resource?r=coleop

Taxonomic coverage

General taxonomic coverage description: Class Insecta, Order Coleoptera
Taxonomic ranks
Genus: Aleochara Gravenhorst, 1802

Spatial coverage

General spatial coverage: Coleoptera beetles recorded within the mixed forest habitat of the Arabuko-Sokoke Forest. Latitude of 3°18'10"S, Longitude 39°58'31"E
Coordinates: 3°21'7.2''S and 3°15'36''S Latitude; 39°54'43.2''E and 40°0'18''E Longitude 

Formation period: Arthropod traps were set up and samples collected between 6am and 8am on the mornings of 27, 28 and 29 April, and 1, 3 and 4 May 2009.

Methods

Method step description: Specimens from the field study were placed in 70% alcohol in glass vials, sorted by Order, labelled with place and date of collection. Specimens were then further identified to family, genus, and, where possible, species level at the National Museums of Kenya. Occurrences were listed in an Excel spreadsheet, which was used to generate data files.
Study extent description: The area of Mixed Forest covered by this study measures c. 2 km x 2 km near Gede Forest Station of Arabuko-Sokoke Forest. The elephant fence erected in 2003 passes through the middle of this section of forest leaving c. 2.5 km2 outside the fence and therefore out of reach of elephant damage. Sampling was carried out over one study period during April and May, 2009, during the wet season when maximum arthropods are expected to occur. Sampling frequency within this period is described below under ‘Sampling description’.
Sampling description: Arthropods were sampled at five points along each of six transects, three inside the elephant fence and three outside. Sampling was carried out using pitfall (cup) traps and malaise (aerial) traps. Five 414-ml pitfall traps were dug into the ground 20 m away from each point count station perpendicular to the transect trail. At each point four pitfalls were also set 3 m apart arranged in a square pattern surrounding a fifth pitfall at the centre of the square. Pitfalls were left with 20 ml of soapy water to collect arthropods for 24 hours.

At each point count, a malaise trap was set up 20 m from the transect line but on the opposite side of the transect line from the pitfall trap area; malaise trap heads were charged with approximately 250 ml of isopropyl alcohol and left in place for 24 hours. Arthropod traps were set up and samples collected between 6am and 8am on the mornings of 27, 28 and 29 April, and 1, 3 and 4 May 2009. Arthropod specimens were sorted to order at A Rocha Kenya’s Conservation Centre, Watamu, and placed in vials with 70% alcohol. Subsequent identification to family/genus/species were conducted at National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi
Quality control description: Specimens were collected and placed immediately into vials labelled carefully with the date and collection station number to ensure specimens were associated with the correct geolocation. Specimen names were then carefully recorded in an Excel spreadsheet under the collection station name. Specimens were identified with direct reference to previously identified specimens in the arthropod collection of the National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi by L.N.

Datasets

Dataset description
Object name: Darwin Core Archive A list of coleoptera recorded in Mixed Forest habitat in Arabuko-Sokoke Forest, Kenya
Character encoding: UTF-8
Format name: Darwin Core Archive format
Format version: 1.0
Distribution: http://ipt.museums.or.ke/ipt/archive.do?r=coleop
Publication date of data: 2019-04-01
Language: English
Licences of use: Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC-BY-NC) 4.0 License

Metadata language: English
Date of metadata creation: 2019-03-12
Hierarchy level: Dataset

References
Banks, J.E., Jackson, C., Hannon, L.M., Thomas, C.M., Baya, A. & Njoroge, L. 2010. The cascading effects of elephant presence ⁄absence on arthropods and an Afrotropical thrush in Arabuko-Sokoke Forest, Kenya. African Journal of Ecology.
Cowling, R. & Kerley, G.I.H. 2002. Impacts of elephants on the flora and vegetation of subtropical thicket in the Eastern Cape. In Elephant Conservation and Management in the Eastern Cape. Workshop Proceedings’. (Eds G. Kerley, S. Wilson and A. Massey.) pp. 55–72.
Kerley, G.I.H. & Landman, M. 2006. The impacts of elephants on biodiversity in the Eastern Cape subtropical thickets: elephant conservation. South African Journal of Science. 102(9–10):395–402.