Impact of the activity of dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) inhabiting pasture land in Durango, Mexico

In this study, I analyzed the diversity of the dung beetle community (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) in relation to its bovine dung-removal efficiency in a cattle ranch with a load of 250 animals currently under holistic resource management. A total of 3,430 individuals of 8 Scarabaeinae species was collected, of which 5 species are abundant in the area: Euoniticellus intermedius (Reiche), Digitonthophagus gazella (Fabricius), Onthophagus mexicanus Bates, O. knulli Howden and Cartwright, and Canthon humectus (Say). Of these 5 species, E. intermedius, D. gazella, and C. humectus were dominant in terms of abundance and biomass. Cattle dung pats were exploited mostly within the first 48 h after deposition. The activity and abundance of dung beetles recorded in the study were insufficient to remove the amount of fresh dung deposited in cattle pastureland.