Dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeinae) in a mosaic habitat at the ecotone between two savanna ecosystems in the Neotropical region

Abstract

One of the main issues related to the conservation of native ecosystems involves the availability of data regarding the biodiversity present on them. In northeastern Brazil, the state of Piaui comprises an important area of the ecotone between Cerrado and Caatinga, two savannah ecosystems. Thus, the aim of this study was to analyze dung beetle diversity at native grasslands and tree clusters, during rainy and dry periods, in one region located at the ecotone between Cerrado and Caatinga, in the state of Piaui. Inventories were performed in two habitats: grasslands and tree clusters. A total of 945 individuals distributed in five species were collected: Canthon cinctellus Germar, 1824, Dichotomius geminatus (Arrow, 1913), Dichotomius nisus (Olivier, 1789), Digitonthophagus gazella (Fabricius, 1787) and Ontherus appendiculatus (Mannerheim, 1829). Canthon cinctellus was the dominant species, comprising more than 90% of the total dung beetle collected. Species abundance was much higher in grassland than in the tree clusters, and none beetles were obtained during the dry period. The species richness observed in the ecotone between Caatinga and Cerrado was low when compared to other similar ecosystems. With this study, there is a total of 13 species recorded in the state of Piaui.