Invasion of Mexico by two dung beetles previously introduced into the United States

Following the Australian CSIRO strategies, the United States Department of Agriculture introduced several dung beetle species as a biological control to decrease the dung accumulation and proliferation of different pest fly species therein. Of these, two species have been very successful: Digitonthophagus gazella and Euoniticellus intermedius. They have expanded from their release sites in the United States, and quickly invaded Mexican territory and dispersed rapidly. Here we report on 27 new capture sites in several Mexican states from 1994 to 1996 and discuss invasion routes as well as ecological conditions.