Shabalin S.A.
Far Eastern Entomologist 2026; (541): 1-16
In the south of the Russian Far East an assembly of dung beetles inhabiting wild boar (Sus scrofa) dung has been studied. Data on the species composition, population dynamics, and number and biomass of the dung beetles are presented. A comparison of dung beetle assemblages inhabiting wild boar and sika deer dung under identical spatiotemporal conditions, formed from a common species pool, reveals similar species compositions in these associations. However, their structure and the dynamic processes occurring within them differ significantly. This is reflected in a richer species composition and the number of species of individual functional groups in sika deer dung, differences in dominant species, seasonal distribution patterns of abundance and biomass (including peak values of these indicators for individual dung beetle functional groups), and aggregated overlapping temporal aspects of the ecological niches of coprophilous beetles. These differences are probably related to the size and structure of the excrement of vertebrate animals, the presence of specific attractive substances in the droppings of wild boar, which is associated with omnivorousness.
