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Vol. 51 No. 4, 2012
Attractiveness of Different Bait to the Scarabaeinae
(Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in Forest Fragments in Extreme Southern
Brazil
Pedro
Giovâni da Silva1,*, Fernando Z. Vaz-de-Mello2,
and Rocco Alfredo Di Mare1
1Programa
de Pós-Graduação em Biodiversidade Animal, Univ. Federal de Santa
Maria, Avenida Roraima, 1000, Camobi, CEP 97105- 900, Santa Maria, Rio
Grande do Sul, Brazil
2Instituto de Biociências, Departamento de Biologia e
Zoologia, Univ. Federal de Mato Grosso, Avenida Fernando Corrêa da
Costa, 2367, Boa Esperança, CEP 78060-900, Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, Brazil
Pedro Giovâni da Silva, Fernando Z. Vaz-de-Mello, and
Rocco Alfredo Di Mare (2012) The aim of this study was to investigate
the attractiveness of different types of bait to the Scarabaeinae.
Scarabaeinae fauna was sampled using pitfall traps in 3 forest
fragments of Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, between May 2009
and Apr. 2010. Each habitat received 27 traps placed on 3 transects,
each containing 3 sets of 3 traps, respectively baited with human
excrement, rotten meat, and rotten banana. Of the total number of
species and individuals collected, 33 species and 75.02% of individuals
were attracted to human excrement, 29 species and 20.26% of individuals
to meat, and only 25 species and 4.72% of individuals to the banana.
Kruskal-Wallis tests showed significant statistical differences among
the mean species richness (H = 20.65, d.f.
= 2, p < 0.01) and
abundance (H = 21.56, d.f. =
2, p < 0.01) of beetles
attracted to each bait type. An ordination analysis showed the
formation of different groups according to feeding habits and trophic
niche overlap. According to Levins’ index, 14 species were
coprophagous, 13 were generalists, and 2 necrophagous. Differences
found occurred due to the great change in dung beetle assemblages from
each type of baited trap during the study period. In this study, human
feces was the most attractive bait, differing significantly from
carrion and rotten banana in both species richness and abundance of the
Scarabaeinae.
Key words: Dung beetles, Trophic guild,
Coprophagy, Necrophagy, Saprophagy.
*Correspondence: E-mail:pedrogiovanidasilva@yahoo.com.br
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