Diurnal Prevalence and Its Seasonal Change of Dung Beetles : Relationships to Weather Elements

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  • フン虫の日周飛来消長とその季節変化および気象要因との関係
  • フン チュウ ノ ニッシュウ ヒライ ショウチョウ ト ソノ キセツ ヘンカ

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Abstract

From May to November in 1979 at Iriki Livestock, Kagoshima University, observations were made on the dirurnal prevalence and its seasonal chang of dung beetles flying to cow dung and their relationships to weather elements were examined. The basket which was filled with soils and fresh cow dungs (400g) was set either in the pasture or under the shade trees. The dung beetles flied to the basketcs were collected and their species and number were recorded. The air temperature, relative humidity, luminous intensity and wind velocity were also measured. The following results were obtained: 1. The diurnal prevalence of dung beetles was classified into three types as follows: 1) day type which showed the activity-peak in the daytime ; 2) night type which showed the activity-peak in the nighttime ; and 3) seasonal type which showed the activity-peak either in the daytime or in the nighttime depending on a season. Geotrupes auratus Motschulsky, Geotrupes laevistriatus Motschulsky, Aphodius haroldianus Balthasar and Onthophagus fodiens Waterhouse were the typical species of dung beetles belonging to the day type, and Aphodius urostigma Harold, Aphodius sublimbatus Motschulsky, Aphodius uniplagiatus Waterhouse and Copris acutidens Motschulsky were those belonging to the night type. Only one species of dung beetles collected, namely Onthophagus lenzii Harold, belonged to the seasonal type. In general species of the day and the seasonal types were medium size, and those of the night type were small size. 2. There was little seasonal change in the diurnal prevalence of dung beetles excepting Onthophagus lenzii Harold. The diurnal prevalence of Onthophagus lenzii Harold fluctuated from season to season. In this species the activity-peak tended to occur in the daytime of May, October and November, and in the nighttime of July, August and September. The species belonging to either the night or the seasonal type showed their activity-peak between 19:00 and 21:00. 3. The flight of dung beetles was observed only when the air temperature ranged between 10 and 28℃, having the optimum temperature of the activity between 19 and 24℃. The number of the flight of dung beetles tended to increase with the rise in relative humidity, and to decrease with the rise in luminous intensity and wind velocity.

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