Training of a dog for the monitoring of Osmoderma eremita

Abstract

One aim of the MIPP Project (http://www.lifemipp.eu) was to develop non-invasive monitoring methods for selected saproxylic beetles. In this paper, a method is proposed for monitoring the larvae of Osmoderma eremita in their natural habitat (i.e. hollow trees), using a conservation detection dog (CDD). Wood mould sampling (WMS), the standard method to detect hermit beetles and other saproxylic insects inside tree hollows, is time-consuming and exposes the target species and the whole saproxylic communities to some risks. In contrast, CDDs pose no risk to the species living inside trees while, at the same time, offer a powerful tool for surveying the insects. In this paper, the methods applied to train the dog are presented, together with the results for accuracy (the overall proportion of correct indications), sensitivity (the proportion of correct positive indications) and specificity (the proportion of correct negative indications) obtained once the CDD had been fully trained. Results are presented for nitrocellulose filters with the odour of the target species, for larvae living inside hollow trees, for frass and for the remains of adults. A comparison of the efficiency between CDD and WMS showed that employing the dog was much less time-consuming than WMS.The literature on training CDDs for nature conservation tasks, with particular reference to cases involving Coleoptera, was also reviewed. CONSERVATION IN PRACTICE Launched to accelerate biodiversity conservation A peer-reviewed open-access journalFabio Mosconi et al. / Nature Conservation 20: 237-264 (2017) 238

Guidelines for the monitoring of Osmoderma eremita and closely related species

“…Two methods, pheromone and pitfall traps which were tested during the project, are described below while the detailed description of the third method, the use of a trained dog, is reported in this issue with Mosconi et al (2017).…”

Olfactory Generalization in Detector Dogs

“…For practical and logistical reasons, it is not uncommon for wildlife- and pest-detector dogs to be trained using a training aid, such as some material previously exposed to the target animal, which serves as a proxy for an actual specimen. Dogs’ reported success in finding specimens in the field after training with odor proxies is evidence of successful generalization (e.g., [75,76,77]). On the other hand, synthetic training aids, such as pseudo scents, have been questioned and criticized (e.g., [74,78]).…”

Buzzing with possibilities: Training and olfactory generalization in conservation detection dogs for an endangered stonefly species

“…CDDs have been trained successfully to find nests of at least three social insect species in field conditions: bumblebees (Waters et al, 2011; O'Connor, Park & Goulson, 2015), termites (Lewis, Fouche & Lemaster, 1997; Brooks, Oi & Koehler, 2003), and red fire ants ( Solenopsis invicta ) (Lin et al, 2011). Other studies have trained dogs to detect the individual larvae of wood borers, such as the Asian longhorn beetle ( Anoplophora glabripennis ) (Hoyer‐Tomiczek, Sauseng & Hoch, 2016) and hermit beetles ( Osmoderma eremita ) (Mosconi et al, 2017), located within objects (e.g. trees or logs), with varying success.…”