Spring Activity of Dung Beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) Associated with Cattle Dung in Central and Eastern Montana

Abstract

Dung beetles improve soil health by speeding up the process of dung incorporation into the soil. This is facilitated by adult dung beetles burying large amounts of dung as provisions for their young, which can improve soil nutrient cycling and structure. Limited information exists on Montana dung beetle species, so we capitalized on an opportunity to collect a limited but valuable set of specimens during spring 2017. Here, we present rank abundance data from an observational study at five Montana sites. We collected adults using cow dung-baited traps at five sites. We report here on catches of Aphodiini, Onthohpagini, Canthonini, and Phanaeini in Montana, including three newly documented species. Our catches indicate that species of tunneler and roller dung beetle may vary across habitats and soil types, suggesting that conservationandenhancement of species