Title: Food preference of some dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)
Abstract: The preference of dung beetles for different kinds of food materials was evolved by using pitfall traps baited with cow, human, pig, horse and goat dung. From 46 such trials, 17 species (belonging to 6 genera and 3 subfamilies of Scarabaeidae)of dung beetles were captured with maximum preference for cow dung (14 species, 318 beetles), followed by pig (13 species, 251 beeltes), human (16 species, 244 beetles), horse (10 species, 224 beetles) and least for goat (7 species, 25 beetles). Most dominant species were Onthophagus cana (F.) (635 specimens) frequenting all the five types of dung, followed by Aphodius testaceus Germ. (89) again visiting all faeces types, and Onitis philemon F. (70) on only four types. In all, five species were found feeding indiscriminately on all the dung types showing their euryphagous character, and five others visiting only one or two dung types exhibited partial stenophagy. Strict stenophagy was never noticed.
Publication Year: 1998
Publication Date: 1998-01-05
Language: en
Type: article
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Cited By Count: 5
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