Common Dung Beetles in Pastures of South-eastern Australia

By M Tyndale-Biscoe

This is a colourful, useful and easy-to-read account of dung beetles in south-eastern Australia. The book tells why the CSIRO brought dung beetles to Australia, what they do, where they live, how to recognise them and how to help them spread. Seventeen species of imported dung beetles are described and illustrated in colour. Native beetles and beetles other than dung beetles found in dung pads are also described. Maps of the predicted and current distributions of each species follow the descriptions.

• Language: English
• Publisher: CSIRO PUBLISHING
• Release date: Jan 1, 1990
• ISBN: 9780643102484

Book preview

Common dung beetles

in pastures of

south-eastern Australia

Marina Tyndale-Biscoe

Division of Entomology

National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication Entry

Tyndale-Biscoe. Marina.

Common Dung Beetles in Pastures of South-eastern Australia

ISBN 0 643 050906

1. Dung beetles - Australia. Southeastern.

 1. CSIRO. Division of Entomology. II. Title.

Caption for front cover figure:

The largest of the introduced dung beetle species,

Geotrupes spiniger.

© CSIRO Australia 1990.

Contents

Acknowledgements

Why were dung beetles brought to Australia?

The CSIRO Dung Beetle Project

What does a dung beetle look like?

What do dung beetles do?

Distribution of dung beetles in Australia

Recognition of dung beetles

The spreading of dung beetles

Species location maps

Introduced dung beetles

Onitis alexis

Onitis aygulus

Onitis pecuarius

Onitis caffer

Onitis viridulus

Euoniticellus intermedius

Euoniticellus africanus

Euoniticellus fulvus

Euoniticellus pallipes

Liatongus militaris

Onthophagus taurus

Onthophagus binodis

Onthophagus gazella

Onthophagus nigriventris

Sisyphus spinipes

Geotrupes spiniger

Hister nomas

Other beetles commonly found in dung pads

Native dung beetles

Beetles other than dung beetles

Maps showing potential and current distributions of species

Map 1    Onitis alexis

Map 2    Onitis aygulus

Map 3    Onitis pecuarius

Map 4    Onitis caffer

Map 5    Onitis viridulus

Map 6    Euoniticellus intermedius

Map 7    Euoniticellus africanus

Map 8    Euoniticellus fulvus

Map 9    Euoniticellus pallipes

Map 10  Liatongus militaris

Map 11  Onthophagus taurus

Map 12  Onthophagus binodis

Map 13  Onthophagus gazella

Map 14  Onthophagus nigriventris

Map 15  Sisyphus spinipes

Map 16  Geotrupes spiniger

Map 17  Hister nomas

Map 18  Onthophagus australis

Map 19  Onthophagus granulatus

Map 20  Onthophagus chepara and Onthophagus posticus

Map 21  Onthophagus auritus and Onthophagus dandalu

Map 22  Onthophagus capella and Onthophagus victoriensis

Map 23  Onthophagus pexatus

Map 24  Onthophagus pentacanthus and Onthophagus mniszechi

About the author

Acknowledgements

The Dairy Research Council and the Australian Meat and Livestock Research and Development Corporation have, together with CSIRO, funded the publication of this booklet. I am grateful to Dr R. Sutherst, for generating the potential distribution maps of the introduced dung beetle species by the use of CLIMEX; to Mr John Green, for taking the photographs; and to Mrs Sandy Smith and Mr Chris Hunt for doing all the artwork and generally preparing the manuscript for publication.

Figure 1. Dorsal view of stylised dung beetle

Why were dung beetles brought to Australia?

When Europeans created open pastures and introduced cattle. sheep and horses into Australia. they produced a new environment which few native dung