Report of dung beetles (Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) attracted to unconventional resources, with the description of three new species

Karimbumkara Seena Narayanan; Priyadarsanan Dharma Rajan

doi:10.33307/entomon.v41i4.213

Report of dung beetles (Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) attracted to unconventional resources, with the description of three new species

Authors

Karimbumkara Seena Narayanan Research Scholar (Part- time), Sree Narayana College, Kannur 670007, Kerala, India
Priyadarsanan Dharma Rajan Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), Royal Enclave, Srirampura, Jakkur P.O., Bangalore 560 064, India.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33307/entomon.v41i4.213

Keywords:

Coprophagy, fungus, millipede, necrophagy, saprophagy, snail

Abstract

Dung beetles found attracted to and feeding on resources other than animal excreta and vertebrate carcasses were collected from different parts of India. Out of the 13 species collected nine were from millipede, three from snail and one from fungus. Of these three species Onthophagus jwalae, O. pithankithae and O. tharalithae are new to science; the former two were found feeding on millipede carcasses while the latter on a dead snail. O. rudis Sharp was found feeding both on live and dead millipedes.

Downloads

Published

2016-12-31

How to Cite

Seena Narayanan, K., & Dharma Rajan, P. (2016). Report of dung beetles (Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) attracted to unconventional resources, with the description of three new species. ENTOMON, 41(4), 265–282. https://doi.org/10.33307/entomon.v41i4.213