Amounts of dung buried and soil excavated by certain Coprini (Scarabaeidae)

In the vicinity of Manhattan, Kansas, dung beetles were found in every environment where cattle grazed. Dung was buried from the first of May until early fall by Pinotus carolinus, Copris tullius and Phanaeus spp. Pinotus carolinus makes a branched burrow and an average of 48.5 grams of cattle dung is stored in the branch of each burrow, while 287.1 grams of soil are excavated. Copris tullius excavates a burrow which terminates in an oblong cavity where a ball of manure is stored. The average amount of soil brought to the sur face and manure deposited was 37.8 and 7.26 grams respectively. Phanaeus spp. store dung at the end of their burrows. The average weight of soil and manure was 93.4 and 9.62 grams, respectively. In the fall these insects constructed burrows which differed from those made earlier in the year in that they went straight down without any pocket or branch and had no stored manure. It is believed that the fall burrows are the overwintering quarters of the species. When two beetles occupied the burrow, the amounts of manure stored and soil excavated were greater than when only one insect was present. Pinotus carolinus, C. tullius and Phanaeus spp. had 38 per cent, 34.7 per cent and 35.2 per cent, respectively, of their burrows occupied by two beetles. In May and June, 42.7 per cent of the fresh cattle droppings on two one-tenth acre plots had newly made dung beetle burrows at their margins. A census of two one-tenth acre plots in September showed an average of 20 fresh mounds of P. carolinus on each plot. Under 76.6 per cent of dry cattle droppings were found small manure pellets which were the larval homes of Onthophagus pennsylvanicus and Onthophagus hecate.