Structure and composition of a dung beetle community (Coleoptera, Scarabaeinae) in a small forest patch from Brazilian Pantanal

Here, we present and discuss data on the composition and structure of a dung beetles community attracted to human- dung baited traps, in an forest patch located in South Pantanal, Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil. We found 20 Scarabaeinae species, 13 of which are species with large geographical distribution. The species richness observated is simillar to others Scarabaeinae communities from Brazilian tropical rainforests. On the other hand, the relative abundance of the species is very atypical for tropical environments and followed a log-series model (c2=1.822, df=19, P>0.999). Canthidium barbacenicum was the most abundant species, had 46% of the 3950 sampled individuals.