The effect of the riparian buffer zone size on the dung beetles communities (Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) in the middle and lower basin of the Cesar river, Colombia

The effect of the riparian buffer zone size in the dung beetles community, in two habitats (pasture and forest) at five stations in the Cesar River basin was analyzed. Eight points spaced 50 m each other were marked per habitat, standing at each of them pitfall traps baited with human feces. 5 072 individuals, grouped in 11 genera and 20 species were captured, of which the most abundant were Pseudocanthon perplexus and Onthophagus marginicollis. Forest fragments were more diverse than pastures, while forest fragments with higher riparian buffer zone were more diverse than small, showing the Scarabaeinae response to the tropical forest fragmentation. © 2016, Sociedad Venezolana de Entomología.