Dung beetles of Brazilian pastures and key to genera identification (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

Tissiani, Ana Silvia de Oliveira; Vaz-de-Mello, Fernando Zagury; Campelo-Júnior, José Holanda

doi:10.1590/S0100-204X2017000600004

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ENTOMOLOGY • Pesq. agropec. bras. 52 (06) • June 2017 • https://doi.org/10.1590/S0100-204X2017000600004 linkcopy

Dung beetles of Brazilian pastures and key to genera identification (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

Abstract:

The objective of this work was to elaborate supporting tools for the correct identification of Scarabaeidae, by an identification key of genera, and a commented list of the species present in Brazilian pastures. A data survey was performed on the specimens deposited in the main Brazilian collection and reported on the recent scientific literature. The distribution of the species was identified in the Brazilian states, based on information on feeding preference, ecological aspects, and potential for faeces removal action. The species were classified according to their importance for pastures, as: high, medium, and low. A key for the identification of the genera and subgenera of Scarabeidae present in the pastures was constructed through the analysis of the external morphology of the species and, when needed, by the analysis of sexual traits. Twenty genera and 76 species of scarab beetles were recorded for Brazilian pasturelands, among which Dichotomius bos, Dichotomius nisus, Trichillum externepunctatum, Ontherus appendiculatus, Onthophagus aff. hirculus, and Digitonthophagus sp. were considered as the most frequent, widely distributed, abundant, and important. The dichotomous key will contribute to the identification of the genera and subgenera of dung beetles (Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) occurring in the Brazilian pastures.

Index terms:
biological control; coprophagous beetles; dichotomous key; Scarabaeinae; taxonomy

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Embrapa Secretaria de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento; Pesquisa Agropecuária Brasileira Caixa Postal 040315, 70770-901 Brasília DF Brazil, Tel. +55 61 3448-1813, Fax +55 61 3340-5483 - Brasília - DF - Brazil
E-mail: pab@embrapa.br

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[TFN1] ⁽¹⁾Eventually collected on pasture. ⁽²⁾Eventually coprophagous. ⁽³⁾Natural fields up to 1,000 m. ⁽⁴⁾Marker of Cerrado. ⁽⁵⁾States: MG, Minas Gerais; SP, São Paulo; PR, Paraná; SC, Santa Catarina; BA, Bahia; ES, Espírito Santo; GO, Goiás; MS, Mato Grosso; MT, Mato Grosso do Sul; RJ, Rio de Janeiro; RS, Rio Grande do Sul; AL, Alagoas; PB, Paraíba; PE, Pernambuco; SE, Sergipe; PA, Pará; DF, Distrito Federal; RR, Roraima; AM, Amazonas; CE, Ceará; MA, Maranhão; PI, Piauí; RN, Rio Grande do Norte; and TO, Tocantins. ⁽⁶⁾Unconfirmed records.

Municipality, State, and geographic localization	Sampling method	Sample effort	Source
Aquidauana, MS	Pitfall traps baited with cattle dung	48 weeks	Aidar et al. (2000)
Carrancas, MG (~21°35'S, 44°34'W)	Pitfall traps baited with human dung or bovine spleen	48 hours	Almeida &Louzada (2009)
Charles Darwin Ecological Refuge, Igarassu, PE (7°48'37"S, 34°27'25"W)	Flight-intercept traps	3 weeks	Costa et al. (2009)
Jaraguá do Sul, SC (26°29'S, 49°04'W)	Manual collection in cattle fecal pads	6 days	Flechtmann & Rodrigues (1995)
Selvíria, MS (20°24'S, 51°19'W)	Manual collection in cattle fecal pads and light-trap	1 year	Flechtmann et al. (1995b, 1995c, 1995d)
Ilha Solteira, SP (20°22'S, 51°22'W)	Manual collection in cattle fecal pads	4 months	Flechtmann et al. (1995a)
Farm of Embrapa Beef Cattle, Campo Grande, MS (~20°27'S, 54°37'W)	Collection in cattle fecal pads	2 years	Koller et al. (1999)
Farm of Embrapa Beef Cattle, Campo Grande, MS (~20°27'S, 54°37'W)	Pitfall traps baited with cattle dung	3 years	Koller et al. (2007)
Londrina, PR (23º27'S, 51º15"W)	Pitfall traps baited with dung	1 year	Lopes et al. (2011)
Viçosa, MG (20°45'S, 42°50'W)	Bovine or horse manure	48 hour	Louzada & Silva (2009)
Vilela Farm, Itumbiara, GO (18°25'S, 49°13'W)	Manual collection in bovine fecal pads	1 year	Marchiori (2000)
Vilela Farm, Itumbiara, GO (18°25'S, 49°13'W)	Berlese funnel with bovine manure	1 year	Marchiori et al. (2001)
Vilela Farm, Itumbiara, GO (18°25'S, 49°13'W)	Manual collection in bovine fecal pads	10 months	Marchiori et al. (2003)
Canchim Farm, São Carlos, SP (21°1'S, 47°53'W)	Berlese funnel and manual collection in bovine fecal pads	1 year	Mendes & Linhares (2006)
Canchim Farm, São Carlos, SP (22°01'S, 47°53'W)	Pitfall traps baited with cattle dung	3 months	Oliveira et al. (1996)
São Luís Island, MA (2°36'S, 44°16'W)	Pitfall traps baited with cattle dung	3 months	Pereira et al. (2003)
Selvíria, MS (20°24'S, 51°19'W)	Manual collection in cattle fecal pads	1 month	Rodrigues & Flechtmann (1997)
Piracicaba, SP (22°42'S, 47°37'W)	Pitfall traps baited with cattle dung	10 months	Rodrigues & Marchini (1998)
Nhumirim Farm, Corumbá, MS (18°59'S, 56°39'W)	Light-trap	13 months	Rodrigues et al. (2010)
Tamarana, PR (25°27'S, 51°15'W)	Light-trap	13 months	Ronqui & Lopes (2006)
Marajoara Farm, Pau d’Arco, PA (7°50'S, 50°16'W)	Pitfall traps baited with dung	1 month	Scheffler (2005)
Linhares, ES (19°15'16"S, 39°47’28"W)	Pitfall traps baited with human dung or spleen or banana	4 months	Schiffler et al. (2003)
Caruaru, PE (20°27'S, 54°37'W)	Pitfall traps baited with human dung	10 months	Silva et al. (2007)
Bagé, RS (31°16'49"S, 53°59'2"W)	Pitfall traps baited with bovine dung or decayed bovine liver	15 days	Silva et al. (2008)
Bagé, RS (31°21'S, 54°00'W)	Pitfall traps baited with human dung, banana or liver and flight-intercept traps	1 year	Silva et al. (2012)
Charles Darwin Ecological Refuge, Igarassu, PE (7°48'37''S, 34°27'25"W)	Pitfall traps baited with human dung or carcass	1 year	Silva et al. (2010)
Guajará Mirim and Nova Mamoré, RO (~10°40'S, 64°50'W)	Pitfall traps baited with human or bovine dung orbovine spleen	48 hours	Silva et al. (2014)
Guriri Island, São Mateus, ES (18°45'S, 39°44'W)	Pitfall traps baited with horse or human dung	3 months	Vieira et al. (2008)

Species	Additional information
Dichotomius aff. quadraticeps Felsche, 1901	Found in pastures and natural fields up to about 1,000 m altitude, in matrix of Cerrado (Almeida & Louzada, 2009). Was identified as Dichotomius ascanius Harold, 1869 in almost all publications (Koller et al., 2007; Almeida &Louzada, 2009).
Dichotomius semisquamosus (Curtis, 1845)	Widely reported from sea level up to 1,000 m altitude - in degrade environments, clearings and pastures -, Atlantic forest, Restinga, and Caatinga, between Southeast (in the states of Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, and Espirito Santo) and Northeast regions.
Ontherus sulcator Fabricius, 1775	Considered with unusual geographic distribution, spread in areas of the Eastern Amazon Forest, throughout Chaco Depression (including Pantanal and Pampas), and South, in Atlantic Forest areas (Morrone, 2001).
Canthidium barbacenicum Preudhomme de Borre, 1886	In Cerrado and Chaco areas are commonly distributed in pastures and degraded environments, even countries bordering Brazil. Cited as Canthidium megathopoides Boucomont, 1928 in Rodrigues & Flechtmann (1997).
Onthophagus buculus Mannerheim, 1829 and close species	Similar to O. hirculus, originally described in the municipality of Diamantina, in the state of Minas Gerais, region, and associated with pastures and natural fields of Cerrado. Several species under this name require urgent revision.
Onthophagus ranunculus Arrow, 1913 and close species	Described as originating in municipality of Natal, in the state of Rio Grande do Norte; close associated to Caatinga and coastal savannas of the Northeast. At least one closely specie occurs in central part of Brazilian Cerrado. This close specie is mistakenly identified as Onthophagus rubrescens Blanchard, 1846, in Louzada & Silva (2009).

Species	States⁽⁵⁾ with confirmed distribution
Agamopus unguicularis (Harold, 1883)	MG	SP	PR	SC
Agamopus viridis Boucomont, 1928	BA	ES	GO	MG	MS	MT	RJ	SP
Ateuchus squalidus (Fabricius, 1775)	ES	MG	RJ	SP
Ateuchus striatulus (Preudhomme de Borre, 1886)	GO	MG	MS	MT
Ateuchus vividus Germar, 1824	GO	MG	MS	MT
Canthidium aff. pinotoides	MS	MT
Canthidium aff. barbacenicum	BA	GO	MG	MS	MT	PR	SP
Canthidium decoratum (Perty, 1830)^(2,4)	BA	GO	MG	MS	MT	PR	SP
Canthidium díspar Harold, 1867⁽²⁾	ES	MG	PR	RJ	RS	SC	SP
Canthidium humerale Germar, 1813⁽¹⁾	AL	BA	PB	PE	SE	PA
Canthidium marseuli Harold, 1867	MG
Canthon histrio (Lepeletier de Saint-Fargeau &	BA	ES	GO	MG	MS	MT	PE	PR	RS	RJ
Audinet-Serville, 1828)	SC	SP
Canthon corpulentus Harold, 1868 (wrongly identified as C. lamproderes)	MT	MG	DF
Canthon rutilans cyanescens Harold, 1868 (many times identified as C. latipes)	PR	RS	RJ	SC	SP
Canthon linearis Schmidt, 1920	RR
Canthon lituratus (Germar, 1813)	AL	AM	BA	CE	MA	PA	PB	PE	PI	RN
Canthon lituratus (Germar, 1813)	RR	SE	TO
Canthon mutabilis Lucas, 1857	BR
Canthon nigripennis van Lansberge, 1874⁽¹⁾	AL	BA	PE
Canthon ornatus (often identified as Canthon bipunctatus Burmeister, 1973)	MS	MT	PR	RS	SC
Canthon ornatusornatus Redtennbacher, 1868	GO	MG	MT	SP
Canthon quadripunctatus Redtennbacher, 1868	MG	RS
Canthon rutilans Castelnau, 1840	MG	SP	RS
Canthon chalybaeus Blanchard, 1846	AL	BA	ES	GO	MG	MS	MT	PE	PR	RS
Canthon chalybaeus Blanchard, 1846	RJ	SC	SE	SP	TO
Canthon virens Mannerheim, 1829	MG	SP
Chalcocopris hesperus (Olivier, 1789)	BA	ES	MG	RJ	SP
Coprophanaeus cyanescens (d’Olsoufieff, 1924)	BA	GO	MG	MS	MT	PA	PE	PR	SP
Coprophanaeus ensifer (Germar, 1821)	AL	GO	MG	MS	MT	PB	PE
Coprophanaeus horus (Waterhouse, 1891)⁽³⁾	MG	PR	SP
Coprophanaeus pertyi (d’Olsoufieff, 1924)	AL	BA	CE	PB	PE	PI	RN
Coprophanaeus saphirinus (Sturm, 1826)	MG	PR	RJ	RS	SC	SP
Coprophanaeus spitzi (Pessôa, 1934)	BA	GO	MG	MT	MS	PR	RO	SP
Deltochilum elevatum (Castelnau, 1840)⁽²⁾	MG	PR	RS	RJ	SC	SP
Diabroctis mimas (Linnaeus, 1758)	BR
Dichotomiu sassifer Eschscholtz, 1822	PR	RS	SC	SP
Dichotomius carbonarius Mannerhein, 1829⁽¹⁾	MG	MT	PR
Dichotomius crinicollis (Germar, 1824)⁽⁴⁾	AL	BA	GO	MG	MT	PE	SE	SP	TO
Dichotomius fimbriatus (Harold, 1869)	ES	MG	PR	RS	RJ	SC	SP
Dichotomius fissus (Harold, 1867)	MG	PR	RJ	SC	SP
Dichotomius geminatus (Arrow, 1913)	AL	BA	CE	ES	MA	PB	PE	RN	SE
Dichotomius glaucus (Harold, 1869)	MS	MT	SP
Dichotomius longiceps (Taschenberg, 1870)⁽¹⁾	GO	MS	MT	MG	RO	SP
Dichotomius lycas (Felsche, 1901)	BA	GO	MG	MS	MT	SP	TO
Dichotomius mormon (Ljungh, 1799)⁽¹⁾	BA	MG	PR	RJ	SC	SP
Dichotomius opacipennis (Luederwaldt, 1931)	MS	MT
Dichotomius semiaeneus (Germar, 1824)	MS	MT	GO	MG	SP
Dichotomius sexdentatus (Luederwaldt, 1925)	BA	GO	MA	MG	MS	MT	RO
Eurysternus caribaeus (Herbst, 1789)⁽¹⁾	BR
Eurysternus deplanatus Germar, 1824	MG	RJ	RS	SP
Eurysternus hirtellus Dalman, 1824⁽¹⁾	BA	ES	MG	PE	RJ
Eurysternus jessopi Martinez, 1988⁽¹⁾	BA	GO	MG	MS	MT	SP
Eurysternus nigrovirens Génier, 2009	GO	MG	MS	MT	SP
Eurysternus parallelus Castelnau, 1840	ES	MG	PR	RS	RJ	SC	SP
Eutrichillum hirsutum (Boucomont, 1928)	MS	MT	MG	PR	RJ	RS	SC	SP
Genieridium bidens (Balthasar, 1938)	BA	ES	GO	MG	MS	MT	PR	RJ	SP
Gromphas inermis Harold, 1869	BA	ES	MG	MS	MT	PR	SC	SP	RS
Ontherus azteca Harold, 1869	BR
Ontherus dentatus Luederwaldt, 1930	MS	MT	SP
Onthophagus bidentatus Drapiez, 1819⁽¹⁾	PA
Phanaeus kirbyi Vigors, 1825	BA	GO	MS	MG	MT	SP
Phanaeus palaeno Blanchard in Blanchard & Brullé, 1845	DF	BA	GO	MS	MG	MT	SP
Pseudocanthon aff. xanthurus (Blanchard in Blanchard & Brullé, 1845)	ES	MA	MT	PA	PE	SP
Sulcophanaeus menelas (Castelnau, 1840)	MG	DF	PR	RS	SC	SP
Trichillum adjunctum Martínez, 1969	BA	ES	GO	MG	MS	MT	PR	RJ	SP	TO
Uroxys epipleuralis (Boucomont, 1928)	MS	PR⁽⁶⁾	RS⁽⁶⁾	SC⁽⁶⁾