Composition and phenology of the beetle community (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea, Staphylinidae, Histeridae, Hydrophilidae) associated to dung of equines in an arid environment

Summary While coprophagous beetles (Scarabaeidae) have been intensively studied in the Mediterranean basin, coprophilous and other equally important dung-associated beetles have received less attention. This study represents the first effort to understand the temporal patterns and dynamic of the whole beetle community in arid conditions, including Scarabaeidae, Staphylinidae, Histeridae and Hydrophilidae. In addition, it is the first specifically to study the fauna attracted to dung of equines in Morocco, which is a key element in promoting the conservation of these insects in xeric environments. The taxonomic identification of 2596 beetles, collected between I.2014 and III.2015 in southern-eastern Morocco, allowed the identification of 53 taxa belonging to six families. Our study has shown that coprophilous and the Staphylinidae members were the major components of dung-associated fauna in xeric conditions in the study area in terms of the total number of individuals, followed by the coprophagous Scarabaeidae. The correspondence analysis has shown that variations of the beetle community over time are governed mainly by temperature. The biocenotic study revealed the presence of three faunal groups: summer species, winter species and a third group composed by eurythermal taxa.