New Data on the Occurrence of Scarabaeoid Beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) in Serbia

Abstract

The Serbian fauna of the superfamily Scarabaeoidea is relatively well-known compared to the neighbouring countries. Many common species known from Serbia’s neighbouring countries are not recorded in Serbia, despite the richness of the country’s habitats, such as high-mountain meadows, pastures, deep gorges, riverbanks (including the exceptionally valuable sandy banks of the Danube) and old forests. Therefore, we aim to supplement the current information on the distribution of the species of the Serbian scarabaeoid beetles. The presented scarabaeoid beetles were caught during seven expeditions in 2013, 2017, 2018, 2019 (two expeditions), 2021, and 2022. As a result, 2031 beetles belonging to 120 species and five families of the superfamily Scarabaeoidea (Geotrupidae, Trogidae, Lucanidae, Glaphyridae, Scarabaeidae) were observed. In less than two months of the faunistic study, the authors confirmed the occurrence in Serbia of 49.5% of the scarabaeoid species previously known from this country and added 13 new species that had not been previously recorded: Eulasia pareyssei (Brullé, 1832), Pygopleurus apicalis (Brullé, 1832), Melinopterus reyi (Reitter, 1892), Nimbus johnsoni (Baraud, 1976), Planolinoides borealis (Gyllenhal, 1827), Copris hispanus Linnaeus, 1764, C. umbilicatus Abeille de Perrin, 1901, Cheironitis furcifer (P. Rossi, 1792), Onthophagus dellacasai Pittino & Mariani, 1981, O. similis (Scriba, 1790), Chaetonyx schatzmayri Mariani, 1946, Holochelus costulatus (Frivaldszky, 1835), and Omaloplia corcyrae (Baraud, 1965). Eight species and one subspecies typical for the Balkan Peninsula were also found: Jekelius punctulatus (Jekel, 1866), Pygopleurus apicalis, P. chrysonotus (Brullé, 1832), Onthophagus dellacasai, Chaetonyx robustus robustus Schaum, 1862, Ch. schatzmayri, Omaloplia corcyrae, O. illyrica (Baraud, 1965), and Triodontella dalmatica (Baraud, 1962). Thus, the number of currently known scarabaeoid species in Serbia has increased to 229. Our results indicate insufficient knowledge of the Scarabaeoidea of Serbia. Therefore, further research and new expeditions to Serbia are highly desirable. High-mountain and Danubian communities of dung beetles are priceless and deserve protection. Twenty-one species of scarabaeoid beetles are illustrated.