DOI: 10.5061/dryad.v15dv427v
title: Data from: Passive debris cloaking in beetles provides non-visual camouflage against predatory ants

description: Our understanding of visual camouflage has increased dramatically in
 recent years, however we know less about anti-predator defenses that
 exploit senses other than vision. Low light habitats, such as leaf litter,
 are more commonly dominated by predators that rely on chemical, tactile,
 and other nonvisual cues. Passive debris cloaking is a trait found in
 several arthropod groups that reside in low light habitats and appears as
 a layer of environmental debris that covers the cuticle. This debris
 accumulates passively as the organism moves through its habitat, generally
 via the secretion of adhesive compounds through specialized pores. We
 hypothesised that passive debris cloaking is a form of non-visual
 camouflage, and tested this experimentally using zopherid beetles as a
 model. Zopherid beetles are highly diverse in Aotearoa, New Zealand, and
 include many species that exhibit passive debris cloaking. By exposing
 zopherids with varying degrees of cuticular debris to colonies of foraging
 predatory ants, we found that passive debris cloaking (1) reduces
 detection by ants, (2) reduces the probability of attack if detected, and
 (3) is most effective when interactions occur on natural backgrounds. Our
 results provide evidence that passive debris cloaking is a highly
 effective form of non-visual camouflage, suggesting non-visual camouflage
 may be more prevalent in low light habitats than currently appreciated.
description: # Data from: Passive debris cloaking in beetles provides non-visual
 camouflage against predatory ants Dataset DOI:
 [10.5061/dryad.v15dv427v](10.5061/dryad.v15dv427v) ## Description of the
 data and file structure This data accompanies the manuscript titled
 "Passive debris cloaking in beetles provides non-visual camouflage
 against predatory ants". This data was collected by putting a single
 beetle into the foraging area of an artificial ant colony and scoring
 interactions between foraging ants and the beetle "prey" for 10
 minutes. Each row is a separate experiment. All experiments were run at
 night time using only a red head light for light to maintain nocturnal
 conditions as all species used in these experiments are nocturnal. For
 detailed information on treatment and interaction types, see methods
 section in the original manuscript.  For more information on the
 collection information for zopherid beetles used for these experiments,
 see the spread sheet supplied as supplementary material in the original
 manuscript titled "NZAC numbers behaviour specimens" which
 contains locality and micro habitat data.  ### Files and variables ####
 File: Predation_data.csv **Description:** Raw data used in "Passive
 debris cloaking provides non-visual camouflage against predatory
 ants" ##### Variables * Date: date experiment was run * Predator:
 predatory ant species used * Colony_code: identifier given to separate ant
 colonies * Prey_ref: identifier given to separate beetles * Prey: zopherid
 genus and species used * Treatment: background treatment type * Coverage:
 passive debris cloaking amount used for categorisation of beetle cuticle
 types * Treat_number: how many experiments the individual prey has been
 exposed to consecutively * PRED_contact_no_react:How many came into
 contact with the beetle prey without stopping to antennate *
 PRED_prolonged_antennation: How many ants stopped to antennate the beetle
 prey * PRED_grasping: The number of ants attempted to grasp the beetle
 prey with their mandibles * PRED_dragging_carrying: The number of ants
 that either attempted or were successful at dragging or carrying the
 beetle into their nesting area * Total_ants: total number of ants
 interacting with prey specimen during experiment ## Access information
 Other publicly accessible locations of the data: * For collection and
 husbandry information see Supplemental Material file with manuscript  *
 For locality and habitat information see NZAC_numbers_behaviour_specimens
 spreadsheet supplied with original manuscript