Environmental and geographic factors driving dung beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) diversity in the dipterocarp forests of Peninsular Malaysia

Despite a good understanding of dung beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) ecology in Southeast Asia, little is known about dung beetles in Peninsular Malaysia. No general study of dung beetle diversity has been carried out in Peninsular Malaysia, and we lack an understanding of how environmental and geographic factors, such as floristic zone, affect dung beetle community diversity. We sampled dung beetle diversity at eight different sites distributed throughout Peninsular Malaysia that encompass primary and secondary lowland, hill, and upper hill dipterocarp forests. We collected 4,313 dung beetles of 64 different species that represent six tribes (Coprini, Oniticellini, Onthophagini, Gymnopleurini, Deltochilini, and Sisyphini) in the subfamily Scarabaeinae. The number of our sampling locations and the range of floristic zones and forest conditions represented by these sites allow us to present a general overview of dung beetle diversity in Peninsular Malaysia and to begin to analyse trends in dung beetle composition throughout the peninsula. © National University of Singapore.