Dung Beetles of Chile, with Emphasis in La Araucania Region

Abstract

Dung beetles are insects that provide a large-scale ecosystem service worldwide through their role in the decomposition of manure from livestock, thereby providing a series of environmental services, such as nutrients recycling, control of internal parasites of livestock whose eggs are in the feces, soil aeration, spreading of seeds and maintenance of ecological balance. Dung beetles are broadly classified according to their nesting behavior in three categories as telecoprids, paracoprids and endocoprids. Telecoprids are the rollers that make balls from feces and roll them into the ground; paracoprids are the tunnellers that bury the dung balls at different depths, forming galleries in the ground below or next to the food source and endocoprids, who are the dwellers that raise their larvae inside feces. There are 10 native species of dung beetles recorded in Chile, apart from 10 species of Aphodiinae, plus two introduced species, such as Onitis vanderkelleni and Onthophagus gazella. Dung beetles species were prospected in La Araucania Region and registered Homocopris torulosus, Frickius variolosus, Podotenus fulviventris and Aphodius pseudolividus. We found that species from genus Homocopris, Podotenus and Aphodius were distributed from 0 to 2000 m above sea level, while F. variolosus was distributed over an altitude of 350 m.

A new extinct species of Scybalophagus dung beetle supports the collateral extinction hypothesis at the Chilean South American Pleistocene–Holocene boundary

“…Thus, based on knowledge of these dung‐dependent species and the multiple sampling efforts in south–central Chile (e.g. Ashworth and Hoganson, 1987; Elgueta et al, 2002; Lobo and González‐Chang, 2022; Rebolledo et al, 2017), it seems unlikely that a species of the size and notoriety as S. brellenthinae has not been reported so far.…”

Revision of the South American genera Andinocopris new genus and Homocopris Burmeister, 1846 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae: Homocoprini new tribe)

“…67) Chile in Región de los Lagos, Región de Los Ríos, Región de Valparaíso, Región del Biobío, Región del Maule, Región la Araucanía, Región Metropolitana de Santiago) and Argentina (Río Negro). Recorded elevations vary from 45 m to 1500 m. Rebolledo et al (2017) report an elevation range from 0 m to 2000 m.…”

“…dahli Landin, 1955. Copris punctatissimus has even been referred to as "H. punctatissimus" by some authors in recent years (i.e., González et al 2015;Rebolledo et al 2017) despite the fact that the species has yet to be formally transferred from Copris to Homocopris and revalidated. As for D. dahli and D. simulator, the species are only represented in literature by their original descriptions, and the type material of both species is limited to a few specimens.…”

“…Herein, we revisit the taxonomy of Homocopris. In doing so: we describe two new species previously considered to represent the Brazilian population of Homocopris torulosus (Eschscholtz, 1822); revalidate Pinotus punctatissimus from synonymy under Homocopris torulosus and place it in Homocopris as had previously been done only informally (González et al 2015;Rebolledo et al 2017); recognize two new synonymies; and describe a new genus, Andinocopris gen. nov., which includes two former members of Homocopris. Presently, Homocopris includes four species: H. torulosus, H. punctatissimus (Curtis, 1845) comb.…”