What does this research mean for the field?

The interaction of sex and substrate type significantly affects the inversion risk and righting behavior of flamboyant flower beetles, with males on mulch substrates experiencing the highest inversion times and requiring the most keeper assistance. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.INCREMENTAL. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

What question did this study set out to answer?

To assess the effects of enclosure substrate type and biological sex on inversion vulnerability and righting success in zoo-housed flamboyant flower beetles (Eudicella gralli).

August 27, 2026Zoo Biology

Effects of Sex and Substrate Type on the Inversion Risk and Righting Behavior of Flamboyant Flower Beetles (Eudicella gralli): Implications for Habitat Design and Beetle Welfare

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Authors

PCPeter CogganUniversity of California, Davis NDNoah T. DunhamCleveland Metroparks Zoo

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Implication

Behavioral study demonstrates that mulch increases upside-down inversion risk for male flower beetles, highlighting the need for varied enclosure substrates in zoos.

Key Points

To assess the effects of enclosure substrate type and biological sex on inversion vulnerability and righting success in zoo-housed flamboyant flower beetles (Eudicella gralli).
Monitored 16 flamboyant flower beetles (n = 8 males, 8 females) across four distinct substrate conditions (mulch, leaf litter, wood chips, and twigs) over 20 days.
Tracked behaviors using remote camera footage via interval scan sampling, continuous all-occurrence recording, and zoo keeper intervention logs.
The interaction of sex and substrate significantly influenced total time spent inverted (p < 0.001) and inversion duration (p = 0.01).
Males housed on mulch spent 46.7% of observation periods inverted, experienced the longest entrapment durations, and most frequently required keeper assistance.
Locomotion was the primary cause of inversion across all conditions, whereas leaf litter and wood chips facilitated higher rates of autonomous self-righting than mulch.

Cite This Study

Coggan et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a8fea0110c91c1e92621ec8 https://doi.org/10.1002/zoo.70097

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Implication

Behavioral study demonstrates that mulch increases upside-down inversion risk for male flower beetles, highlighting the need for varied enclosure substrates in zoos.

Effects of Sex and Substrate Type on the Inversion Risk and Righting Behavior of Flamboyant Flower Beetles (Eudicella gralli): Implications for Habitat Design and Beetle Welfare

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Key Points

Cite This Study

Effects of Sex and Substrate Type on the Inversion Risk and Righting Behavior of Flamboyant Flower Beetles (Eudicella gralli): Implications for Habitat Design and Beetle Welfare

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