Comparison of the cuticular profiles of several dung beetles used as host carriers by the phoretic mite Macrocheles saceri (Acari: Mesostigmata)

Macrochelid mites have developed phoretic interactions with coprophilous arthropods in order to disperse and colonize newsubstrate. Macrocheles saceri (Acari: Mesostigmata) is a mite phoretically specialized on the dung beetles of the Scarabaeus genus. Aprevious study has demonstrated that M. saceri can discriminate among available hosts and showed host preferences using the hostcuticular material. In this present study, we have compared the cuticular chemicals including the volatiles present among severalspecies of Scarabaeus and Bubas genera. By comparing the host chemical profiles to the host preferences, several hypothesesregarding the role of some of these volatile chemicals in host discrimination based on attractiveness and repellency, are proposed.