In order to evaluate the impact of oil palm cultivation on dung beetles in the eastern Brazilian Amazon, comparisons were made of communities in oil palm plantations and native forest. Pitfall traps baited with human feces were buried to soil level in plantations and surrounding forests. Fifty traps were used in each type of vegetation, placed at 50 m intervals along five transects. Dung beetle communities in oil palm plantations have lower species richness (18 spp.) than in surrounding tropical rainforest (48 spp.), as well as altered species composition. Total abundance of individuals was not significantly different between the two habitats, but species composition was greatly different. Species evenness was greater in the forest. Forest corridors for the preservation of dung beetle species may need to be much wider than current designs. The erosion of biodiversity in dung beetles due to oil palm monoculture parallels what has been seen in other animal taxa in tropical tree plantations.
This paper provides a synopsis of the South American genus Diabroctis Gistel, 1858. Five species are assigned to the genus. The type species D. mimas is widely distributed and shows considerable morphological variation in male secondary sexual characters. A substantial number of morphological and geographic data are used to provide an updated diagnosis of this species, and to describe intraspecific variation. A new Brazilian species is described as Diabroctis pseudomimassp. nov., which has been recognized among specimens confused with D. mimas (Linnaeus) in entomological collections. Additionally, the subspecies D. mimas venezuelensis is elevated to species level. Lectotypes are designated for Phanaeus mirabilis and Phanaeus mimaeformis. Diagnoses, distribution data, and an identification key are provided for all species included in the genus.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.