Abstract

BASTO-ESTRELLA, Gertrudis; RODRIGUEZ-VIVAS, Roger Iván; DELFIN-GONZALEZ, Hugo  and  REYES-NOVELO, Enrique. Dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) from cattle ranches of Yucatán, Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodiv. [online]. 2012, vol.83, n.2, pp.380-386. ISSN 2007-8706.

This study describes the fauna of dung beetles (Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) in tropical sub-humid cattle ranches. Insects were collected with pitfall traps baited with cattle manure from January to December 2010 in four cattle ranches of eastern state of Yucatán, Mexico. 93 274 dung beetles were collected from 17 species of the subfamily Scarabaeinae. The most abundant species were Onthophagus landolti, followed by Canthon indigaceus chevrolati, Digitonthophagus gazella, C. leechi y Pseudocanthon perplexus. Observations showed that burrowing species had greater abundance and species richness. Diurnal species of small size had lower richness, but were more abundant. Knowledge of the composition of dung beetle fauna of the region is a starting point to develop studies of the impact of human activities and livestock production practices on the diversity of these insects.

Keywords : richness; species; diversity; cattle rising; dung; beetles.