Dana L. Price Salisbury University

June 25, 2014

The Search for Living Jewels: Scarabs

Taxonomic Guide to the

Scarabaeoidea of MD

Objectives

• Bioinventory of all 23 counties (7-10

years)

• Historical data (museums and literature)

• Taxonomic keys

• Original Illustrations

• Natural History data

• Countywide distribution maps for all

species

• Reference collection on Eastern Shore

• Literature review, 3 private collections,

and a few museums.

• 7 families in MD, 266 species and

subspecies

• Counties, months, habitat

Staines, C.L. 1984. An annotated checklist of the Scarabaeoidea

(Coeloptera) of Maryland. Maryland Entomologist 2: 79-89.

Economically and Ecologically

Important

• 1,500 in North America

• Pests of lawns, gardens, ornamentals

• Fungivores, Herbivores, Necrophages,

Coprophages, Saprophages, Carnivores

Economic Importance

Reduce densities of

dung breeding flies

and nematodes

Ecological Importance

Fouled pasture (and parasites)

Surface runoff

Organic pollution and water–borne diseases

Soil fertility and organic matter

Soil turnover

Soil aeration and water infiltration

Earthworm activity

Indicator taxa

• Environmental Indicators - model

organisms for understanding the nature

of tropical rainforest diversity.

• Provide information about the quality of

the environment

Special Ecological Niches

Termitophily

Myrmecophily: Pheidole, Acromyrmex, Atta

Vertebrate nests: gopher tortoise, pocket

gopher, woodchuck, prairie dog, rodents,

buzzard, rabbit, porcupine, stork

Ectocommensals of mammals: monkeys,

sloths, kangaroos, wallabies

“Sit and Wait” Strategy

Jacobs, J., I. Nole, S. Palminteri and B. Ratcliffe. 2008. First Come, First Serve: “Sit

and Wait” Behavior in Dung Beetles at the Source of Primate Dung. Neotropical

Entomology 37: 641-645.

Illustrated Keys to

Scarabaeinae of Maryland

Simone Nemes

Nemes, S.N. and D.L. Price. In Review. Illustrated Keys to the

Scarabaeinae (Coleoptera) of Maryland. Submitted to

Northeastern Naturalist.

Dung beetles of organic and

conventional beef and dairy

cattle farms across MD

Change in species diversity of dung beetles

across seven forests of eastern MD

• 2011

• June to August

• 7 counties including

Worcester (Showell

Property)

• Dung beetle diversity

and richness

• Natural history

Continuing project

(2014)

• May to September

• Follow up this

summer for

seasonality and

“mixed bait”

Patrick Simons

Stephen Kelly

Species

Jane's

Island Showell Henson Seth Martinak Tuckahoe Sassafras

Total

Ateuchus histeroides 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 4

Blackburneus aegrotus 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 5

Blackburneus rubeolus 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 3

Canthon chalcites 16 153 66 0 2 0 0 237

Canthon viridis 0 0 0 0 0 42 0 42

Copris minutis 39 63 2 35 34 5 12 190

Geotrupes blackburnii 0 3 0 0 0 0 2 5

Geotrupes egeriei 0 2 117 1 293 5 0 418

Geotrupes splendidulus 0 0 0 7 0 0 0 7

Omorgus manachus 0 0 4 0 0 1 0 5

Onthophagus concinnus 0 0 0 0 4 2 0 6

O. hecate 288 136 43 55 6 22 324 874

O. orpheus 0 0 0 0 0 5 46 51

O. pennsylvanicus 78 67 0 10 30 8 5 198

O. striatulus 34 0 2 31 2 0 1 70

O. taurus 7 27 2 16 6 3 4 65

O. tuberculifrons 2 2 1 0 6 3 0 14

Oscarinus rusicola 10 18 5 177 5 6 3 224

Phanaeus vindex 4 46 6 3 9 0 0 68

Total 478 517 248 335 402 102 404 2486

2011

2011

Species

Jane's

Island Showell Henson Seth Martinak Tuckahoe Sassafras

Total

Ateuchus histeroides 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 4

Blackburneus aegrotus 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 5

Blackburneus rubeolus 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 3

Canthon chalcites 16 153 66 0 2 0 0 237

Canthon viridis 0 0 0 0 0 42 0 42

Copris minutis 39 63 2 35 34 5 12 190

Geotrupes blackburnii 0 3 0 0 0 0 2 5

Geotrupes egeriei 0 2 117 1 293 5 0 418

Geotrupes splendidulus 0 0 0 7 0 0 0 7

Omorgus manachus 0 0 4 0 0 1 0 5

Onthophagus concinnus 0 0 0 0 4 2 0 6

O. hecate 288 136 43 55 6 22 324 874

O. orpheus 0 0 0 0 0 5 46 51

O. pennsylvanicus 78 67 0 10 30 8 5 198

O. striatulus 34 0 2 31 2 0 1 70

O. taurus 7 27 2 16 6 3 4 65

O. tuberculifrons 2 2 1 0 6 3 0 14

Oscarinus rusicola 10 18 5 177 5 6 3 224

Phanaeus vindex 4 46 6 3 9 0 0 68

Total 478 517 248 335 402 102 404 2486

Species

Jane's

Island Showell Henson Seth Martinak Tuckahoe Sassafras

Total

Ateuchus histeroides 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 4

Blackburneus aegrotus 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 5

Blackburneus rubeolus 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 3

Canthon chalcites 16 153 66 0 2 0 0 237

Canthon viridis 0 0 0 0 0 42 0 42

Copris minutis 39 63 2 35 34 5 12 190

Geotrupes blackburnii 0 3 0 0 0 0 2 5

Geotrupes egeriei 0 2 117 1 293 5 0 418

Geotrupes splendidulus 0 0 0 7 0 0 0 7

Omorgus manachus 0 0 4 0 0 1 0 5

Onthophagus concinnus 0 0 0 0 4 2 0 6

O. hecate 288 136 43 55 6 22 324 874

O. orpheus 0 0 0 0 0 5 46 51

O. pennsylvanicus 78 67 0 10 30 8 5 198

O. striatulus 34 0 2 31 2 0 1 70

O. taurus 7 27 2 16 6 3 4 65

O. tuberculifrons 2 2 1 0 6 3 0 14

Oscarinus rusicola 10 18 5 177 5 6 3 224

Phanaeus vindex 4 46 6 3 9 0 0 68

Total 478 517 248 335 402 102 404 2486

2011

Species Diversity and Succession of

Dung Beetles to Horse Dung on

Assateague Island

Photographer Paul A. Souders/CORBIS

American Beach Grass

(Ammophila

breviligulata)

Loblolly Pine

(Pinus taeda)

Saltmarsh

Cordgrass

(Spartina

alterniflora)

Collections • May and Sept/Oct (2011) and April,

June and August (2012)

• 160 m transect

• 5 pitfalls baited with human dung

• Week long samples without

replacement of dung

• 20 weeks total (20 samples)

Species Richness

Marsh Dune Forest

Species Richness 11 13 8

Estimated Species

Richness

Chao1 11.5 15 8

ACE 12 23.3 8

ICE 16.5 17.94 8.46

Species Diversity

Simpson 1/D 2.65 2.07 2.65

Shannon (eH) 3.1 2.6 3.18

Diversity Totals

Species Marsh Dune Forest Total

Ataenius imbricatus (Melsheimer) 1 0 0 1

Blackburneus aegrotus (Horn) 3 9 0 12

Copris minutis (Drury) 135 238 666 1039

Dichotomius carolinus (Martinez) 0 1 0 1

Flaviellus phalerioides (Horn) 4 2 0 6

Geotrupes blackburnii (Fabricius) 0 1 10 11

Geotrupes egeriei Germar 19 14 134 167

Labarrus pseudolividus (Balthasar) 3 63 0 66

Onthophagus hecate Panzer 1503 1430 2610 5543

Onthophagus pennsylvanicus Harold 358 77 85 520

Onthophagus taurus (Schreber) 2 2 3 7

Onthophagus tuberculifrons Harold 1540 3098 1610 6248

Oscarinus silvanicus (Melsheimer) 1 0 2 3

Phanaeus vindex MacLeay 0 1 0 1

Rhyssemus scaber Haldeman 0 1 0 1

Total Abundance 3569 4937 5120 13626

DiversityTotals

Species Marsh Dune Forest Total

Ataenius imbricatus (Melsheimer) 1 0 0 1

Blackburneus aegrotus (Horn) 3 9 0 12

Copris minutis (Drury) 135 238 666 1039

Dichotomius carolinus (Martinez) 0 1 0 1

Flaviellus phalerioides (Horn) 4 2 0 6

Geotrupes blackburnii (Fabricius) 0 1 10 11

Geotrupes egeriei Germar 19 14 134 167

Labarrus pseudolividus (Balthasar) 3 63 0 66

Onthophagus hecate Panzer 1503 1430 2610 5543

Onthophagus pennsylvanicus Harold 358 77 85 520

Onthophagus taurus (Schreber) 2 2 3 7

Onthophagus tuberculifrons Harold 1540 3098 1610 6248

Oscarinus silvanicus (Melsheimer) 1 0 2 3

Phanaeus vindex MacLeay 0 1 0 1

Rhyssemus scaber Haldeman 0 1 0 1

Total Abundance 3569 4937 5120 13626

Species Accumulation Curve

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000

Nu

mb

er

of

Sp

ecie

s

Individuals

Marsh

Dune

Forest

Succession Study

Island Mainland

5 pitfall traps in each habitat

(N = 15)

5 pitfall traps on 2 horse farms

(N = 10)

Bait: Island horse dung Bait: Farm horse dung

Collected beetles on days 1, 3, 5, 7, 14, 21

(Sabu et al. 2006)

Bait was not replaced

July and September 2011, May, June and August 2012

(5 trials of 21 days)

Succession Study

Island Mainland

5 pitfall traps in each habitat

(N = 15)

5 pitfall traps on 2 horse farms

(N = 10)

Bait: Island horse dung Bait: Farm horse dung

Collected beetles on days 1, 3, 5, 7, 14, 21

(Sabu et al. 2006)

Bait was not replaced

July and September 2011, May, June and August 2012

(5 trials of 21 days)

Succession Study

Island Mainland

5 pitfall traps in each habitat

(N = 15)

5 pitfall traps on 2 horse farms

(N = 10)

Bait: Island horse dung Bait: Farm horse dung

Collected beetles on days 1, 3, 5, 7, 14, 21

(Sabu et al. 2006)

Bait was not replaced

July and September 2011, May, June and August 2012

(5 trials of 21 days)

Sabu, T., Vinod, K. and Vineesh, P. 2006. Guild structure, diversity and succession

of dung beetles associated with Indian elephant dung in south western Ghats

forests. Journal of Insect Science 6: 1-12.

Succession Results Assateague Island (n = 15) Mainland Farms (n = 10)

Day Day

Species 1 3 5 7 14 21 Total 1 3 5 7 14 21 Total

Ataenius spretulus 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2

Blackburneus aegrotus 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 1 0 0 0 0 4

B. rubeolus 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 1 0 0 0 6

Copris minutis 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 6 5 0 0 0 0 11

Canthon chalcites 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2

Geotrupes blackburnii 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 3

G. egeriei 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 2

Labarrus pseudolividus 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 186 50 0 0 0 0 236

Onthophagus hecate 22 0 0 0 0 0 22 22 14 4 0 0 0 40

O. pennsylvanicus 4 3 0 0 0 0 7 352 39 5 1 0 0 397

O. taurus 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 1 0 0 0 0 13

O. tuberculifrons 23 11 1 0 0 0 35 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Oscarinus silvanicus 9 0 0 0 0 0 9 1 2 3 0 0 6

Phanaeus vindex 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 25 1 0 0 0 0 26

Total 65 14 1 0 0 0 80 617 115 15 1 0 0 748

Two-way ANOVA by Location and Month (P-value = 0.001)

Future Directions

• Are dung beetles capable of breeding in

the Assateague horse dung?

• Dung consistency: Salt content, nutritional

value

• What are the dung beetles on the island

feeding on?

Scarabs of Eastern Maryland

• Black lighting

• Pheromone traps

• Baited pitfall traps

• Hand collection

• Sweeping

• Rotten logs

Ryan Johnston

Scarabs of Eastern Maryland

• All eastern shore

counties

• Museum reference

collection

• Began working on

eScarab website

(eol.org)

Jenny Shaughney

Quick Guide to the

Scarabaeoidea of MD

Mallory Hagadorn

Current Collections

Scarabs of Maryland

Betsy Bangert Mike Burchett

MD Scarabs Facebook

Acknowledgements

• Guerrieri Summer Research

Fellowships

• Bill Hulsander and Mike Riley

(Assateague)

• Holly Ridge Equestrian Center

and Autumn Groves Stables

• Many Research Students

• MD State Park Managers

• Coastal Bays Crew

Bait Switch Results

Island Horse Bait on Mainland Mainland Horse Bait on Island

Day Day

Species 1 3 5 7 14 21 Total 1 3 5 7 14 21 Total

Ataenius imbricratus 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2

Copris minutis 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 0 0 0 0 0 4

Blackburneus aegrotus 5 0 0 0 0 0 5 6 2 0 0 0 0 8

Labarrus pseudolividus 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 2

Onthophagus hecate 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 29 1 0 0 0 0 30

O. pennsylvanicus 50 27 0 0 0 0 77 1 1 0 0 0 0 2

O. taurus 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

O. tuberculifrons 3 1 0 0 0 0 4 33 19 0 0 0 0 52

Oscarina rusicola 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 16 0 0 0 0 0 16

Total 62 29 0 0 0 0 89 92 24 0 0 0 0 118

t-Test: Paired Two Sample for Means (P-value = 0.449)