Dung beetle - a master for cleaning pastures and meadows

The lamellar family is characterized not only by the special structure of the antennae and mace, but by many interesting species. Beetles belong to it, which became champions in size, weight and ability to move weights. The life of most species is related to soil, and nutrition is associated with coprophagy. Utilization of excrement, plant and animal residues is essential for the development of biocenosis. The dung beetle cleans the surface of the soil from animal waste products, promotes the formation of humus, and increases soil fertility. Hardworking insects benefit nature and man.

Insect description

Excavator dung beetles (Geotrupidae) are a family of beetles whose lifestyle is closely related to the land. The scientific name is formed from the two words geos– earth and trypeter - driller, digger. The beetles have an oval or round body shape, the size of the imago is 3-70 mm. The head is directed forward. Antennae, which are an excellent organ of touch, consist of 11 segments. The special structure of the 3-segment mace served as the name of the whole family. Organ records are able to open in the form of a fan. In some species, the mace is enveloping. Mandibles extend beyond the clypeus and are clearly visible from above.

Pronotum convex, sometimes with tubercles, dots, and growths. Elytra of dung beetle thickened, protruding, surface with grooves or smooth. In many species, wings are well developed and are used for short flights in search of food. Some bugs have lost their ability to fly. The color of dung beetles is black, brown, blue, green, yellow, and may have a metallic tint. The abdomen is blue or purple. It consists of 6 sternites, on which 7 spiracles are located.

Coxae of forelegs transverse, strongly protruding. Shanks serrate on the outer edge, on top of 2 spurs. This structure is characteristic of digging legs. The paws end in simple claws. The lateral surface of the limbs is covered with long black hairs.

Larva

Lamellae - insects with a full cycle of transformation. The larva of the dung beetle is C-shaped, characteristic of members of the family. Their body is cylindrical, thick and fleshy. The color is light - creamy white, beige, yellow. The head capsule is sclerotized, in most species there is no frontal suture. The jaws are gnawing, well developed. The head is painted brown. Antennae consist of three segments; eyes are absent.

Distribution area

Dung beetles are widespread throughout the world. Various types of insects are found in the fauna of Europe, Asia, Africa, North and South America and Australia. Beetles live in meadows, forest edges, pastures. In Russia, settled everywhere from European regions to the Far East.

Lifestyle

The dung beetle prefers to spend time in underground burrows dug under sheet bedding or dunghill. In the shelter, he experiences the heat of the day and gets out for food in the late afternoon. A characteristic feature of insects is the formation of balls from manure.Cleverly wielding the front legs, they create spheres that roll into the home. The nutrition of imago is diverse: mushrooms, decay products of organics, excrement of vertebrates.

Attention. Some species of dung beetles do not feed, they exist due to stocks made at the larval stage.

Representatives of the Geotupidae family are characterized by territorial behavior. Males vie for the attention of females. It is believed that when choosing a partner, females are guided by the size of a rolled dung ball. The larger the scope, the greater the chances of a female to be favored. Mating of insects occurs in the summer. Spheres from excrement are needed as a stock of nutrients for posterity.
Invertebrates dig vertical holes of various depths from 15 to 200 cm. A chamber for the larva is arranged at the bottom. The female lays an egg on a ball of manure. The larva that appeared a month later grows without leaving its burrows. She hibernates, and pupates in spring. One generation is developing in a year. The life expectancy of adults is about two months.

Classification

The Geotrupidae family has brought together more than 600 species of dung beetles, a small part of them (20 pcs.) Live in Russia. Excavation dugouts are divided into several subfamilies:

1. The Bolboceratidae subfamily includes large and medium-sized beetles, most of which live in the Palearctic. The sizes of the imago are 15-23 mm, the antennae consist of 11 segments, the club consists of 3 segments. Elytra black, brown or two-tone. The wings are well developed and used for flights. Adults feed on mushrooms, larvae with humus.
2. The Geotrupinae subfamily is medium-sized beetles, which feature protruding upper jaws and lip. Mace lamellar or enveloping. On the forelimbs, 4-9 teeth are located on the outer edge. The basis of their diet is the excrement of mammals. Beetles also feed on mushrooms and forest litter.
3. The subfamily Lethrinae is a beetle with an oval convex body, the length of which does not exceed 30-35 mm. A characteristic feature is the presence of appendages of the mandibles on the upper jaw of males. The club is enveloping, its segments do not open in the form of a fan. The wings lost their flying function. Beetles live in holes; during the breeding season, males are aggressive towards rivals. Mating occurs on the surface. To feed the larvae, leaves and shoots are harvested.

Common types of dung beetles

Anoplotrupesstercorosus

The forest cops found throughout Europe, is a massive species. It lives in broad-leaved and mixed forests, giving particular preference to beech groves. The size of adults is 12-20 mm. Elytra black and blue, lower body blue with metallic shimmer. Elytra covered with seven rows of dashed grooves. Under the hard elytra, colored wings hide, they can be green, purple, brown. Antennae red-brown, with a large mace.

Beetle is active from May to September. He digs holes 80-90 cm deep, at the end of which he equips a chamber for laying eggs. Larvae from feces of herbivores and litter from leaves provide food for the larvae. Larvae winter, their development takes about a year. Adult beetles appear in spring.

Onthophagusgazella

A brown dung beetle from the scarab family. The birthplace of the insect is Africa. This species was introduced to Australia and North America to address pasture disposal problems. Immigrants from Europe brought with them large herds of cows and sheep. Local dung beetles (almost 400 species) were not able to rid the pasture of manure. The territory was quickly covered with animal waste.

To solve the problem, the Onthophagusgazella beetle, a hard-working and rapidly developing insect, was selected. Male and female make 10-12 balls of manure, in which offspring develops. Stage of larva 18-20 days, pupae - 2 weeks.

Trypocoprisvernalis

A representative of the Geotrupidae family, the dung beetle spring lives in Europe, Asia Minor, and the Caucasus.A small insect 18-20 mm long has a convex oval body. The grooves on the elytra are almost absent, the surface seems smooth. Only on the wide pronotum many points. Variable color, individuals are black-blue, green or dark blue. Elytra glossy. Antennae dark, mace lamellar. There are two keels on the hind legs.

Coprinus sprout is a rare species listed in the Red Book of several regions of Russia (Smolensk and Moscow), as well as Belarus. In places where many ungulates live, the insect is found in large numbers. For example, in Belovezhskaya Pushcha. The beetle prefers to settle on the edges and lawns of deciduous forests. Adults occur from May to September, most active in the spring at dusk.

Information. Green shiny dung beetles look like bronzes, but differ in lifestyle. A spring manock rests during the day, flying out in the evening in search of dung heaps.

Females make burrows under heaps of excrement. The depth of shelter for the larva is 50-60 cm. At the bottom there is a chamber with balls of dung where the larva grows. The offspring winter, and in the spring pupates. Reducing the number of beetles contributes to a decrease in the number of cattle, deforestation and anthropogenic impact on habitual habitats.

Extemporaneousness

Common Coprinus - a beetle with a shiny black and blue surface. The species is distributed throughout the Palearctic. The body is oval, length 16-27 mm. Abdomen blue with a metallic sheen, covered with black hairs. Each elytra has 7 grooves. The head is directed forward, the antennae with three plate maces. Beetles settle in meadows and farmland. The main food is excrement of cattle and horses. For posterity, dig holes to a depth of 60 cm, into which dung balls are laid. The female leaves a clutch of 3-6 eggs.

In one hole, dung beetles make several branches for each larva. Its food is provided by a ball of manure several times larger than the dimensions of the beetle. Young adults emerge from the pupa in April. Insects are active at night. Slow dung beetles have many natural enemies: birds, small mammals (moles, hedgehogs, foxes). The danger is small parasites of ticks. In case of danger, an ordinary dung beetle is able to publish a creak with its limbs, which is an alarm.

Anthropomorphous

A kaloed bull from the family of lamellae. Kaloids are small medium-sized beetles with a compact, flattened body. Their length is up to 15 mm. Two-horned kaloyed or bull beetle got its name for paired outgrowths on the head of males. They are located on the back, front or middle of the head. Met in the tunnel, the males try to push each other out. Insects rest on the walls of the hole with their limbs, and push the enemy with horns. The winner goes to the female and the shelter.

But not all insects get horns, some individuals lack growths. Genital enlargement compensates for the deficiency. Males do not fight with competitors, but actively fertilize females. They are waiting for a potential partner in the tunnel.

Interesting fact. Two-horned kaloyed is rightfully considered the most powerful insect on the planet. In ability to lift weights, he surpassed the Hercules beetle, considered the record holder. Hercules lifts a load that is 850 times the mass of his body, and the kaloid bull is capable of weighing 1,141 more than his own.

Onthophagustaurus beetles are common in Europe, North Africa, Iran, Afghanistan, and Central Asia. In 2013, this species was introduced to New Zealand for the disposal of sheep excrement on pastures. Insects lead a daily life. Some of the adults dig holes for laying eggs, while others place the masonry directly in the dunghill.

The ecological importance of dung beetles

Dung beetles around the world are used on sheep and dairy farms for the disposal of livestock excrement.Insects using manure as chambers for the development of offspring reduce the number of places favorable for the development of various harmful species (flies, pathogenic bacteria). The supply of soil with organic matter increases the fertility of the fields.

Interesting Facts

1. Beetle dung beetle can be guided by the sun and stars, such a conclusion was made by scientists, observing hardworking insects. During the movement of the load, beetles often move back to front. Pushing the dung ball with its hind legs, they do not lose direction. Climbing on a hill, imagos are able to determine the path to their hole. In the dark, beetles are guided by the stars or the moon. In cloudy weather, they need much more time to roll the ball to the shelter.
2. The sacred scarab is one of the types of dung beetles. The black brilliant beetle in Ancient Egypt actively rolled balls from manure. It was believed that this action symbolizes the movement of the sun in the sky.
3. Dung beetles are able to get moisture from the fog. They reveal wings on which dewdrops settle.