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Nocturnal Perching of Scarabaeine Dung Beetles (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae) in an Australian Tropical Rain Forest

Howden, H.F., Howden, A.T. and Storey, R.I. (1991) Nocturnal Perching of Scarabaeine Dung Beetles (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae) in an Australian Tropical Rain Forest. Biotropica, 23 (1). pp. 51-57.

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Abstract

Wongabel, a northeastern Queensland tropical, wet, evergreen forest, contains 22 species of Scarabaeinae dung beetles. Five of these species were observed to perch commonly on leaves at night. Length of the beetle and the height of its perch were recorded for each of 56 1 specimens. Unlike the New World tropical dung beetle perchers, no clear evidence was found that small species perched closer to the ground than larger species. The evidence gathered, at least for the four most common perchers, supports the hypothesis that perching is one type of foraging strategy. The similarities and differences between the Australian and New World perchers are discussed.

Item Type:Article
Additional Information:Permission granted from the © Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation.
Keywords:Scarabaeine dung beetles; tropical rain forest; foraging.
Subjects:Science > Zoology > Invertebrates > Insects
Live Archive:08 Jul 2004
Last Modified:03 Sep 2021 16:47

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