Diversity of Scarabaeidae s. str. (Coleoptera) in the Reserva Biologica Guaribas, Mamanguape, Paraiba, Brazil: a comparison between Atlantic Forest and northeast's Tabuleiro.

Diversity of Scarabaeidae s. str. (Coleoptera) in the Reserva Biologica Guaribas, Mamanguape, Paraiba, Brazil: a comparison between Atlantic Forest and northeast's Tabuleiro. Scarabaeid beetles consume dung and carcasses of large vertebrates. Guilds of scarabeids were compared between Forest and Tabuleiro at the Reserva Biologica Guaribas, Mamanguape, in the state of Paraiba. Samples were collected monthly from November 2001 to April 2002 in Forest and Tabuleiro. Insects were collected by using 24 pitfall-traps, 12 in each area, with six traps baited with human excrement and six with rotten liver. Fifteen species and 1298 specimens were collected in the Forest and 25 species and 2235 specimens in the Tabuleiro. Eleven species occurred in both areas, whereas 14 were found only in the Tabuleiro and four in the Forest. Dichotomius sericeus (Harold, 1867) was the most abundant species in the two areas. The Tabuleiro was the most species-rich; however dominance was greatest in the Forest. The presence of common species in the two studied areas confers a moderate similarity to the forest and Tabuleiro habitats.