Observations on the feeding behaviour of tetraechma tarsalis (balthasar 1939) (coleoptera scarabaeidae Canthonina)

Abstract

We report new observations on the feeding habits of the small Canthonina beetle Tetraechma tarsalis (Balthasar 1939), endemic to the arid zones of central Argentina. The species has been hitherto reported as feeding only on vizcacha dung pellets. Nevertheless, according to both laboratory and field observations, we describe a broader range of trophic habits and a very large spectrum of feeding behaviours. We briefly discuss the hypothesis that the display of such an opportunistic behaviour may be related to environmental changes due to human activity. Our data agree with the hypothesis that dung beetles are provided with a much wider ethological valence than that they usually express in nature. © 1997 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.