Dung Beetles of the Kwamalasamutu Region, Suriname (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae)

Dung beetles are among the most cost-effective of all animal taxa for assessing biodiversity patterns, but relatively little is known about the dung beetle fauna of Suriname.I sampled dung beetles using baited pitfall traps and flight intercept traps in the Kwamalasamutu Region of southern Suriname.I collected 4,554 individuals represented by 94 species.Species composition and abundance varied quite strongly among sites.Dung beetle diversity correlated positively with large mammal species richness, and was highest at the most isolated site (Kutari), suggesting a possible cascading influence of hunting on dung beetles.Small-scale habitat disturbance also caused local dung beetle extinctions.The dung beetle fauna of the Kwamala region is very rich relative to other lowland forests of Suriname and the Guianas, and contains a mix of range restricted endemics, Guiana Shield endemics, and Amazonian species.I estimate that about 10-15% of the dung beetle species collected here are undescribed.While most species were coprophagous, 26 species were never attracted to dung; 4 of these were attracted exclusively to carrion or dead invertebrates and the other 22 were only captured in flight intercept traps.The abundance of several large-bodied dung beetle species in the region is indicative of the intact wilderness that remains.These species support healthy ecosystems through seed dispersal, parasite regulation and other processes.Maintaining continuous primary forest and regulating hunting (such as through huntingrestricted reserves) in the region will be essential for conserving dung beetle communities and the ecological processes they sustain.