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Published December 22, 2020 | Version v1
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Dung Relocation Behavior in Three Sympatric African Heliocopris Hope Dung Beetle Species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae)

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Stanbrook, Roisin (2020): Dung Relocation Behavior in Three Sympatric African Heliocopris Hope Dung Beetle Species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae). The Coleopterists Bulletin 74 (4): 656-658, DOI: 10.1649/0010-065X-74.4.656, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1649/0010-065x-74.4.656

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urn:lsid:plazi.org:pub:FF80FFD79528FFD8FF87FFCF152B7345

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Figure: 10.5281/zenodo.5329781 (DOI)
Figure: 10.5281/zenodo.5329785 (DOI)

References

  • The Scarabaeinae are a speciose subfamily of dung beetles responsible for a suite of ecosystem services related to the functional behavior of dung removal from soil surfaces (Hanski and Cambefort 1991). This activity fertilizes and aerates soil, retards the spread of parasites and inhibits the breeding of pestiferous fly populations (Nichols et al. 2008). Fresh dung is a highly prized resource which is used by adults and their larval offspring for feeding (Halffter and Matthews 1966). Dung is relocated by dung beetles from its original site of deposition to avoid intense competition for this patchy but valuable resource. There are three major patterns of dung relocation behavior. Some dung beetles, termed endocoprids, bury into dung and remain there until the nutrients in the dung are exhausted. Other species excise and shape dung into spheres, which allows it to be rapidly and safely rolled away along the ground surface from other dung beetle competitors. Tunneling dung beetles burrow into the earth directly below or adjacent to a dung pile and haul their coveted prize into one or more underground brood chambers where it is then shaped into a "sausage-like" shape or ball and an egg is laid in this dung mass. Brood chambers may lie up to 2 m underground (Halffter and Matthews 1966) as a result of intense competition for space directly under large dung pats.
  • The Old World genus Heliocopris Hope includes many of the largest dung beetles in the world, with some species approaching 7 cm in length (Kingston and Coe 1977). These large tunneling dung beetles comprise an important agency in herbivore dung removal and soil enrichment in the savannahs and grasslands across Africa. Of the 52 described species, 49 occur on the African continent (Pokorny et al. 2009). However, despite their outsized role in ecosystem service provision much of the underground behavior of many African dung beetles remains unknown.
  • My goal was to compare dung relocation behavior in three sympatric species of large tunneling dung beetle, Heliocopris hunteri Waterhouse, Heliocopris neptunus Boheman and Heliocopris stroehlei Moretto, that are commonly found in areas of high elevation in East Africa (Pokorny et al. 2009). I aimed to clarify the functional importance of these dung beetle species by describing the amount of dung relocated underground and the species-specific behavior of tunnel and brood mass construction.
  • Forty-four dung beetle burrows were excavated during both the dry (June 2015, n = 17) and wet season (February 2016, n = 27) in the Salient Sector of the Aberdare National Park (0.4166°S, 36.6667°E, 2,050 m asl) located in the central highlands of Kenya. Sampling took place adjacent to a waterhole as the density of freshly deposited elephant dung was consistently high. Burrows were excavated next to elephant dung piles that contained visible evidence of dung beetle activity from soil excavation mounds. It was observed that the creation of many of these mounds had occurred during the previous evening but before daybreak as the soil the dung beetles had excavated was as dry as the surrounding soil on the surface by early morning. The soil from these mounds was gathered into a plastic container and weighed using an Ohaus Pro™ STX622 portable balance. Burrows were excavated by removing the dung from the entrance to the tunnel and placing a stick inside to track the tunnels trajectory while excavation occurred. Tunnels for all three species were rarely dug vertically beneath the dung pat and often followed a 45° angle from the soil surface. The paths of the tunnels were followed by carefully and progressively removing the soil surrounding the stick. Excavation stopped when the dung brood mass became detectable by the wet earth surrounding the dung.
  • Large dung beetles are known to exhibit traits which make them increasingly sensitive to extinction risk due to their dependence on large quantities of readily available large herbivore dung (Galetti et al. 2018; Raine et al. 2018). The loss of these large, charismatic, and functionally efficient insects 658 has the potential for cascading consequences for the Halffter, G., and E. Matthews. 1966. The natural history ecosystem functioning in grasslands and savannahs of dung beetles of the subfamily Scarabaeinae. across Africa. The results of the present study will Folia Entomologica Mexicana 12(14): 1-312. hopefully contribute to the growing knowledge of Hanski, I., and Y. Cambefort. 1991. Dung Beetle
  • NJ, 481 pp. provide and highlight the importance of protecting Kingston, T. J., and M. Coe. 1977. The biology of a giant the ecosystems in which they reside. dung beetle (Heliocopris dilloni) (Coleoptera:
  • Nichols, E., S. Spector, J. Louzada, T. Larsen, S. Data were collected with the authorization and help Amezquita, M. E. Favila, and The Scarabaeinae of the Kenya Wildlife Service under research permit Research Network. 2008. Ecological functions number NACOSTI/P/15/0573/3206. I am especially and ecosystem services provided by Scarabaeinae indebted to Sergeant Geofrey Waboma Wafula of dung beetles. Biological Conservation 141(6):
  • 1461-1474. KWS, Mweiga for his help during data collection.
  • Pokorny, S., J. Z´idek, and K. Werner. 2009. Giant Dung
  • Raine, E. H., C. L. Gray, D. J. Mann, and E. M. Slade. Galetti, M., M. Moleon, P. Jordano, M. Pires, M. M. 2018. Tropical dung beetle morphological traits
  • J. Marquis, and J. C. Svenning. 2018. Ecological
  • and evolutionary legacy of megafauna extinctions. (Received 2 June 2020; accepted 2 September 2020.
  • Biological Reviews 93(2): 845-862. Publication date 22 December 2020.)