Estimation of biomass of dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) from the Russian Far East

Abstract

Data on dry biomass and body length are given for 47 species of dung beetles from the southern part of the Russian Far East. The length-to-body weight relation in specimens of 47 species of dung-beetles was calculated, to enable biomass to be estimated from information about body length. Shown, the selection of optimal models of length-weight relationship of dung-beetles depends on the types of trophodynamic relationships of beetles and its size classes. When conducting ecological studies using such an indicator as dry biomass, it is necessary to determine the biomass of individual species from regional faunas, and to determine the biomass along the length of the body of beetles, it is necessary to use exclusively models built also for regional faunas.