During the day, a non-uniform distribution of long and short wavelength light generates a colour gradient across the sky. This gradient could be used as a compass cue, particularly by animals such as dung beetles that rely primarily on celestial cues for orientation. Here, we tested if dung beetles can use spectral cues for orientation by presenting them with monochromatic (green and UV) light ...

Mountains provide an interesting context in which to study the many facets of biodiversity in response to macroclimate, since environmental conditions change rapidly due to elevation. Although the decrease in biodiversity with increasing elevation is generally accepted, our understanding of the variation of functional diversity along altitudinal gradients is still poorly known. The partitioning...

Many studies have evaluated the effect of forest fragmentation on dung beetle assemblage structure. However, few have analyzed how forest fragmentation affects the processes carried out by these insects in tropical forests where their food sources consist mainly of dung produced by native herbivore mammals. With the conversion of forests to pastures, cattle dung has become an exotic alternative...

Diurnal and nocturnal African dung beetles use celestial cues, such as the sun, the moon, and the polarization pattern, to roll dung balls along straight paths across the savanna. Although nocturnal beetles move in the same manner through the same environment as their diurnal relatives, they do so when light conditions are at least 1 million-fold dimmer. Here, we show, for the first time to our...

Following the observation tha t the non-ball-rolling dung beetle Pachylomerus fem oralis (K irby) rolled the flesh-covered seeds from the fruit o f the spineless m onkey orange tree, Strychnos madagascariensis Poiret, an investigation into the chemical a ttrac tan ts o f this fruit was made. U sing headspace gas chrom atography with electroantennographic and flame ioni­ zation detection in para...

Understanding how biodiversity responds to environmental changes is essential to provide the evidence-base that underpins conservation initiatives. The present study provides a standardized comparison between unbaited flight intercept traps (FIT) and baited pitfall traps (BPT) for sampling dung beetles. We examine the effectiveness of the two to assess fire disturbance effects and how trap perf...

Canthonella amazonica and C. leptoculata, new species of canthonine dung beetles, are described from Brazil’s central Amazon region. A new key to the eight species that occur in South America is provided.

Elegant new experiments show that on clear nights and in the absence of other celestial cues, dung beetles can orient their routes to the band of stars known as the Milky Way.

You may have seen the film Microcosmos, produced in 1996 by the French biologists Claude Nuridsany and Marie Perrenou. It does not star humans, but much smaller creatures, mostly insects. The filmmakers’ magnifying camera transposes the viewer into the world of these organisms. For me, Microcosmos is not an ordinary naturalist documentary; it is an exercise in metaphysics. One sequence in the f...