Dung consumption of<i>Scarabaeus cristatus</i>from Kuwait

Al-Houty, Wasmia; Al-Musalam, Fatin

doi:10.1080/09397140.1996.10637691

Cited by 1 publication

(2 citation statements)

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“…The present study has divulged trends in dung preferences among the scarab beetles. Two of the important factors that are said to influence dung selection among beetles is the nutritional status of the resource (Ridsdill-Smith, 1986) and its odour (Wille et al, 1974;Al-Houty and Al-Musalam, 1996;Finn and Giller, 2002). It is possible that these were contributing factors in the present study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 70%

“…Vegetation characteristics also directly affect the choice of habitats by scarabs (Halffter and Mathews, 1966;Hanski, 1981;Hanski 1987). In this case, forest and riverine habitats which lack thick ground cover, unlike the grass and scrub, may, for this reason, provide easier access to the beetles and aid in maneuverability, as suggested by Al-Houty and Al-Musalam (1996) and Medina et al (2002). As soil characteristics also affect the burrowing behaviour of dung beetles (Hanski and Cambefort, 1991;Davis, 2000), the moist soil of forest and riverine habitats will be preferred to grass or scrub habitats.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

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Habitat and dung preferences of scarab beetles of the subfamily Scarabaeinae: a case study in a tropical monsoon forest in Sri Lanka

Hewavithana

Wijesinghe

Dangalle

et al. 2016

Int. J. Trop. Insect Sci.

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We studied the food and habitat preferences of beetles of the subfamily Scarabaeinae in a protected tropical monsoon forest, the Wasgomuwa National Park in Sri Lanka. While gaining an insight into the capacity of different resources to support dung beetles, we tested the hypothesis that, in a landscape with a mosaic of habitat types and a diversity of large mammals, specialization facilitates coexistence of the scarabs. Pitfall traps were laid in five distinct habitat types (forest, riverine, sandy banks, scrub and grassland), and baited with five dung types (leopard, cervid, elephant, bear and buffalo). Four hundred and fifty seven beetles of 22 species in seven genera were recorded. Significant differences were seen in the species richness and abundance of dung beetles between different habitats and dung types, indicating habitat and food preferences. The highest richness of scarabs was in the riverine habitat and in leopard dung. Niche breath values of the individual species indicated differences in the degrees of specialization, while niche overlap values indicated a greater sharing of dung beetle species between similar habitats and dung types than between dissimilar ones. These findings provide evidence that selectivity of habitat, and dung, may be important in promoting coexistence among the scarabs in a tropical environment.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 70%