Data for: Latitudinal cline of death-feigning behaviour in a beetle (Tribolium castaneum)

Death-feigning behaviour is a phenomenon in which a prey is rendered motionless due to stimulation or threat from a predator. This anti-predator defense mechanism has been observed across numerous animal taxa and is considered adaptive in nature. However, longer durations of death feigning can result in decreased opportunities for feeding and reproduction, and therefore is often associated with higher fitness costs as compared to environments without predators. Differences have also been observed in the frequencies and durations of death-feigning behaviours within animal populations, and these differences are thought to be influenced by the balance between survival and other fitness costs. Furthermore, this balance is predicted to vary in response to changes in environmental conditions. In this study, we examined the frequency and duration of death-feigning behaviours in 38 populations of the red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum). Our results demonstrate that frequencies and durations of the death-feigning behaviours in Tribolium castaneum show geographical variations and a latitude cline, indicating that this behaviour is influenced by location as well as latitude. This study is the first to demonstrate the existence of a latitudinal cline in death-feigning behaviour and suggests that this behavior might have evolved in response to environmental factors that vary with latitude.