Recent records of the dung beetle Catharsius molossus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in Singapore

Digital Gems > Biodiversity Library of Southeast Asia

Language

English

Creator

Ong, X. R.
Chua, S. C.
Potts, M. D.

Source Title

Nature in Singapore

Publication date

2013/2/19

Publisher

Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research

Page

2024-06-01 00:00:00

Content Type

Journal Article

Object Type

Text

Terms of Use

Open Access

Access Status

Open

Repository

NUS Libraries

Start File Page

1

End File Page

7

Volume

6

Call Number

QH185.2 NIS

Subject

Dung beetles -- Singapore

Controlled Term

Catharsius molossus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Keyword

dung beetle
Catharsius molossus
secondary forest
Central Catchment Nature Reserve
Singapore

Abstract

Of the dung beetles collected in Singapore, Catharsius molossus (Linnaeus) is the largest and only large nocturnal tunnelling species, last recorded there in the late 1970s. To determine if the species is still extant in Singapore, we conducted dung beetle surveys at six study sites. Both cattle- and pig-dung baited pitfall traps were used to determine the species’ dung preferences. In total, 52 individuals were captured, with 49 individuals from cattle-dung baited traps. Most of them were captured within the contiguous northern patch of forests in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve. Catharsius molossus appears to be a specialist of herbivores’ dung. Established populations of both the Sambar deer (Rusa unicolor) and Eurasian wild pig (Sus scrofa) are likely sources of dung for this species.

Plate

47

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