Impact of moisture content of soil & dung on dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) diversity in buffalo dung pats in Agra region

The dung beetle diversity depends upon the moisture content of soil and dung. Present paper deals with investigations on buffalo dung beetles collected from seven districts of Agra region. Ten species of dung beetles were collected by hand picking method. It was observed that moisture content (more than 60%) or less than 10% did not attract dung beetles while 20%–40% is the preferred soil and dung moisture range. Tunnelers have maximum abundance and preference for buffalo dung, while the abundance and species richness of rollers and dwellers were very low.