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SEASONAL ACTIVITY OF DUNG BEETLES (COLEOPTERA: SCARABAEIDAE) ASSOCIATED WITH CATTLE DUNG IN SOUTHERN ALBERTA AND THEIR GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION IN CANADA1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 May 2012

K.D. Floate  and
B.D. Gill
K.D. Floate
Affiliation:
Lethbridge Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, P.O. Box 3000, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada T1J 4B1
B.D. Gill
Affiliation:
Centre for Plant Quarantine Pests, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Room 4125, K.W. Neatby Building, 960 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 0C6
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Abstract

Dung beetles (Scarabaeidae) were pitfall trapped at two sites in southern Alberta from 1993 to 1995. A 3-year total of 156 500 specimens representing 17 species was collected. Local assemblages were dominated, in descending order, by the exotic species Onthophagus nuchicornis (Linné), Aphodius prodromus (Brahm), Aphodius distinctus (O.F. Müller), and Aphodius fimetarius (Linné). Aphodius vittatus Say was the most common native species. Although adults were collected from mid-March to mid-November, the activity of individual species either peaked in the spring and again in the fall, or peaked once in spring to midsummer. Maps showing the Canadian distributions for 15 of these species were compiled from examination of collections and published records and identify 10 new provincial records. Most distributions are transcontinental, with the distribution of O. nuchicornis likely expanding only in the last 20–30 years to include Alberta and Saskatchewan. Aphodius erraticus (Linné) and Aphodius ruricola Melsheimer have not been previously reported from British Columbia. Aphodius pinguellus W.J. Brown, Canthon praticola LeConte, and Aphodius coloradensis Horn are restricted to western Canada.

Résumé

Des pièges à fosses ont servi à récolter les bousiers (Scarabaeidae) à deux endroits dans le sud de l’Alberta de 1993 à 1995. Au cours de ces 3 années, 156 500 spécimens représentant 17 espèces ont été récoltés. Les associations locales étaient dominées, par ordre décroissant, par les espèces exotiques Onthophagus nuchicornis (Linné), Aphodius prodromus (Brahm), A. distinctus (O.F. Müller) et A. fimetarius (Linné). Aphodius vittatus Say s’est révélé le taxon indigène le plus commun. Bien que des adultes aient été récoltés de la mi-mars à la mi-novembre, leur activité chez certaines espèces était maximale au printemps et atteignait un nouveau sommet à l’automne, alors que chez d’autres elle n’avait qu’un seul mode qui durait du printemps au milieu de l’été. Des cartes illustrant la répartition au Canada de 15 de ces espèces ont pu être dressées après examen des récoltes et des données publiées et 10 espèces viennent s’ajouter aux inventaires provinciaux. La plupart des espèces sont transcontinentales et la répartition d’O. nuchicornis semble ne s’être étendue jusqu’en Alberta et en Saskatchewan qu’au cours des 20 à 30 dernières années. Aphodius erraticus (Linné) et A. ruricola Melsheimer n’avaient jamais été mentionnés en Colombie-Britannique auparavant. Les espèces Aphodius pinguellus W. J. Brown, Canthon praticola LeConte et A. coloradensis Horn sont confinées à l’ouest canadien.

[Traduit par la Rédaction]

Type
Articles
Information
The Canadian Entomologist , Volume 130 , Issue 2 , April 1998 , pp. 131 - 151
Copyright
Copyright © Entomological Society of Canada 1998

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