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Field assessments of the impact of night-flying dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) on the bush fly, Musca Vetustissima Walker (Diptera: Muscidae), in south-western Australia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 July 2009

T. J. Ridsdill Smith  and
J. N. Matthiessen
T. J. Ridsdill Smith
Affiliation:
Division of Entomology, CSIRO, Private Bag, P.O. Wembley, Western Australia6014
J. N. Matthiessen
Affiliation:
Division of Entomology, CSIRO, Private Bag, P.O. Wembley, Western Australia6014
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Abstract

The effect of excluding the night-flying dung fauna, which included one abundant species of dung beetle (Scarabaeidae) in each of two areas, on the numbers of Musca vetustissima Wlk. emerging from cattle dung pads was studied in south-western Australia. Fresh dung pads were exposed to natural, daytime oviposition by M. vetustissima and half were covered at night. A test at one site before dung beetles emerged showed no effect of other nocturnal fauna on fly survival. In three experiments where Onthophagus ferox Har. was excluded, the numbers of flies emerging increased from 679 to 1019 per dung pad. In five experiments where Onitis alexis Klug was excluded, the number of flies emerging increased from 14 to 33 per dung pad. The mortality contributed by Onthophagus ferox was estimated to be around 27% and that by Onitis alexis around 15%.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Bulletin of Entomological Research , Volume 74 , Issue 2 , June 1984 , pp. 191 - 195
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1984

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References

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