Copro-necrophagous beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) diversity in an agroecosystem in Yucatan, Mexico

Abstract

Scarabaeinae are sensitive to structural habitat changes caused by disturbance. We compared copronecrophagous beetle (Scarabaeinae) community structure in three differently managed zones within an agroecosystem of the northern Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. We placed dung and carrion traps once a month from June 2004 through May 2005. The beetle community included 17 species from the genera Canthon, Canthidium, Deltochilum, Pseudocanthon, Malagoniella, Onthophagus, Phanaeus, Copris, Uroxys, Sisyphus and Ateuchus. The secondary vegetation had a higher beetle diversity than the other two zones. Species richness was highest in the Brosimum alicastrum plantation. The pasture had the lowest species diversity and richness, but exhibited the highest abundance of Scarabaeinae in the dry season. The two zones with extensive tree cover were the most diverse. Roller beetles were dominant over burrower species and small-sized species outnumbered large species. Our data show two important issues: beetle species in the pasture extended their activity to the beginning of the dry season, while abundances dropped in the other, unirrigated zones; and the possibility that the Scarabaeinae living in neotropical forests are opportunistic saprophages and have specialized habits for resources other than dung. The B. alicastrum plantation is beneficial to the entire ranch production system because it functions as a dispersion and development area for stenotopic species limited to tree cover.

First report on dung beetles in intra-Amazonian savannahs in Roraima, Brazil

“…Most species we found belong to species-clusters that have been collected within dry, open and highly disturbed environments on the American continent, some of them with records from Argentina (Damborsky et al 2015), Mexico (Novelo et al 2007), Ecuador (Carpio et al 2009), Venezuela (Lozano 2010), Colombia (Noriega et al 2007) and Costa Rica (Padilla-Gil & , coastal low land forests ('Tabuleiro' forests) (Endres et al 2007) and native and exotic pasturelands (Almeida et al 2011, Costa et al 2009. In addition, the species reported here were also found within highly impacted Brazilian forests, such as northeastern fragments of Atlantic forest (Salomã o & Iannuzzi 2015, Viegas et al 2014, planted Eucalyptus sp.…”

“…In Brazil, there are samples from flight intercept traps , Costa et al 2009) and pitfalls baited with dung and carrion , Silva et al 2007. (Novelo et al 2007), Venezuela (FerrerParis et al 2013), Bolivia (Vidaurre et al 2008) and Guyana (F.Z. Vaz-de-Mello, unpublished data).…”

“…Vaz-de-Mello, unpublished data). Species in this group have been considered as nocturnal (Hernandéz 2007), sampled by pitfall traps baited with dung and carrion (Carpio et al 2009, Hernandéz 2007, Novelo et al 2007, Silva et al 2007). …”

Bandoniozyma gen. nov., a Genus of Fermentative and Non-Fermentative Tremellaceous Yeast Species

“…Although an additional strain of B. glucofermentans was found from Canthon sp. (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), which is usually copro-necrophagous, some Canthon species have a generalist feeding behavior [38]. The hypothesis that B. glucofermentans and B. fermentans take part in the beetle/mushroom/yeast interaction model should be further investigated to evaluate if additional fermentative basidiomycetous yeasts occur in mushroom related sources.…”

Dung removal by dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) and macrocyclic lactone use on cattle ranches of Yucatan, Mexico

“…The objective of the present study was to evaluate dung removal amount by dung beetles on ranches where ML are used and those where ML are not used to treat endo-and ectoparasites in cattle. Dung removal was compared between both types of ranches at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of the rainy season, when dung beetle richness and abundance were the highest in the region (Basto-Estrella et al, 2012;Reyes-Novelo, Delfín-González, & Morón-Ríos, 2007). If the behavior and biology of dung beetles in ML sites is negatively affected by the endectocide (Errouissi & Lumaret, 2010;Floate, 2011;Wall & Beynon, 2012;Webb, Beaumont, Nager, & McCracken, 2010), we hypothesize that the quantity of removed dung will be higher in non-ML sites than in ML using sites.…”