Escarabajos coprófagos (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) en bosques sobre arena blanca de la Reserva Nacional Allpahuayo Mishana, en la Amazonía peruana

Abstract

The study was conducted from October 2010 to April 2011 on the white sand forest, locally known as “varillal”, in the following forest types: high humid (VAH), high dry (VAS), low humid (VBH) and low dry (VBS) at the Allpahuayo Mishana National Reserve, Iquitos-Nauta road (km 24,6 and 28), Loreto, Peru. The objective was to know the richness, abundance, dominance, diversity and similarity of the dung beetles (Scarabaeinae) community in different varillal types using fall traps baited with human feces. We collected 6 241 individuals belonging to 16 genera and 42 species. The richness and entropy or diversity were higher in VAH and VAS, but the dominance was higher in VBS and VBH. The species composition and the species abundances between the high and low varillal were different, as well as between the low varillal. Canthidium aff. cupreum, Ateuchus sp., Dichotomius lucasi and Onthophagus haematopus have preference for high dry and humid varillal, while Scybalocanthon sp. has preference for low varillal. Dung beetles should be used as indicators of changes on the vegetation structure.