Scarab
beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) of Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary,
Chhattisgarh, India
Kailash
Chandra 1 & Devanshu Gupta 2
1 Zoological Survey of India,
535, M-Block, New Alipore, Kolkata, West Bengal 700053, India
2 Zoological Survey of India,
Central Zone Regional Centre, Scheme No. 5, Plot No. 168/169, Vijay Nagar,
Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh 482002, India
1 kailash611@rediffmail.com, 2devanshuguptagb4102@gmail.com (corresponding author)
Abstract: A faunistic survey in
Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary, Chhattisgarh revealed 43 species belonging to
25 genera, 16 tribes and eight subfamilies in two families, Hybosoridae and
Scarabaeidae of the superfamily Scarabaeoidea. All the species are recorded for
the first time from the Sanctuary, while 31 species are new to the scarab fauna
of Chhattisgarh, India.
Keywords: Chhattisgarh, distribution,
new records, scarab beetles.
doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o3251.4660-71| ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:1FE2C4A6-CE65-4B1B-A5A0-3B1E549D4617
Editor: Brett C. Ratcliffe, University
of Nebraska, Lincoln, USA. Date of publication: 26 August 2013 (online &
print)
Manuscript details: Ms #
o3251 | Received 13 July 2012 | Final received 01 March 2013 | Finally accepted
09 August 2013
Citation: Chandra, K. & D. Gupta
(2013). Scarab beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) of
Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary, Chhattisgarh, India. Journal of
Threatened Taxa 5(12): 4660–4671; http://dx.doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o3251.4660-71
Copyright: © Chandra & Gupta
2013. Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.JoTT allows unrestricted use of this article in any medium, reproduction and
distribution by providing adequate credit to the authors and the source of
publication.
Funding: Chhattisgarh CAMPA Fund (F./CAMPA/306, dated 24/03/2011)
Competing Interest: Authors
declare no competing interest.
Acknowledgements: The
authors thank Dr. K. Venkataraman (Director, Zoological Survey of India,
Kolkata) for providing necessary facilities and encouragement. Special thanks
are also due to the Chhattisgarh Forest Department, particularly the CAMPA
office for the logistic and financial support to carry out the studies on the
Protected Areas of Chhattisgarh. The authors are also thankful to Dr. Ales Bezdek
(Czech Republic), Dr. Paul Schoolmeesters (Belgium) and Dr. James Noriega
Alvarado for literature.
For figure, images -- click here
Scarab beetles
comprise a speciose group and are a conspicuous component of the beetle fauna
of the world. Adults of these
beetles are noticeable due to their relatively large size, bright colors, often elaborate ornamentation, and interesting life
histories. Life histories of scarab
beetles are incredibly diverse and include adults that feed on dung, carrion,
fungi, vegetation, pollen, fruits, compost, or roots. On the other hand, some scarab beetles
live in the nests of ants (myrmecophiles), in the nests of termites
(termitophiles), or in the nests of rodents or birds. Dung beetle is a common
name applied to beetles in the subfamilies Scarabaeinae and Aphodiinae, while
most species in the subfamilies Melolonthinae, Dynastinae, Rutelinae, and
Cetoniinae feed on plant products and are occasionally agricultural pests of
various commercial crops. Dung
beetles as a whole perform a series of ecological functions such as nutrient
cycling, soil aeration (Mittal 1993), seed dispersal (Estrada & Estrada
1991; Larsen 2004), and regulation of enteric parasites and dung breeding
dipteran pests (Borenmissza 1970; Fincher 1981).
The family
Scarabaeidae includes about 91% of all scarabaeoids (except Lucanidae and
Passalidae) and includes about 27,800 species worldwide. Within the family
Scarabaeidae, the two subfamilies Aphodiinae and Scarabaeinae include
approximately 6,850 species worldwide, and the subfamilies Orphninae,
Melolonthinae, Dynastinae, Rutelinae, Cetoniinae, Trichiinae and Valginae include
approximately 20,950 species (Ratcliffe & Jameson 2001).
Taxonomic
studies on scarab beetles of the Oriental region, especially ofIndia, was mostly carried out by Arrow (1910, 1917, 1931), Balthasar (1963a,
1963b, 1964), Mikšić (1977), Endrodi (1985), Kuijten (1983), Chandra
(1986, 1999), Gupta (1986), Kabakob (2006) and Krikken (2009). Comprehensive research on scarab beetle
diversity of central India was made by Chandra (2000, 2003), Chandra &
Ahirwar (2007), Chandra & Singh (2010) and Chandra & Gupta (2011; 2012
a,b,c). Chandra (2000) published an inventory of 96
species of scarabaeid beetles from Madhya Pradesh. Later, concentrating on the
scarab diversity of central India, Chandra & Ahirwar (2007) published a
comprehensive account of scarab beetles of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and
recorded 124 species/subspecies belonging to 45 genera in 11 subfamilies. Recently, Chandra & Singh (2010)
reported 22 species of scarab beetles belonging to 11 genera and six
subfamilies from Achanakamar Wildlife Sanctuary, Chhattisgarh. While
inventorying the faunal diversity of protected areas in Chhattisgarh, an
extensive survey of the sanctuary was undertaken and scarab beetles were also
collected. The collection yielded 43 species belonging to 25 genera, 16 tribes
and eight subfamilies in two families, Hybosoridae and Scarabaeidae of the
superfamily Scarabaeoidea, and all the species are new records for the
Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary, Chhattisgarh (Images 1–5).
Materials
and Methods
Study Area
Barnawapara
Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Raipur district of Chhattisgarh. The sanctuary covers an area of 245km2. The topography of the region comprises
flat and hilly terrain with elevations ranging between 265–400 m. The flora of the Sanctuary is comprised primarily
of tropical dry deciduous forest with teak, sal, bamboo, and Terminalia. The major wildlife
attractions of the sanctuary are tigers, gliding squirrels, jackals, leopards,
chinkara, chital, sambhar, jungle cat, wild dogs, gaur, and nilgai.
A faunistic
survey of the sanctuary was conducted between 1 July 2011 and 4 July 2011 and
beetles were collected from three different localities, viz., Tinsa Pathar (TP)
(21028.861’N & 82027.831’E, elevation 461.46m);
Barnawapara Camp (BC) (21024.00’N & 82025.314’E,
elevation 303.88m); and Kari Dongri Forest (KDF) (21025.315’N &
82027.316’E, elevation 332.53m) under the leadership of the first
author of the paper. Beetle
specimens were collected using a light trap with a 160 wattmercury bulb as the light source and dung beetles were also collected from dung
pats of dogs, cows and nilgai during the day, with the help of forceps. They were later identified using the
literature (Arrow 1910, 1917, 1931; Janssens 1940, 1953; Balthasar 1963a,
1963b, 1964; Kuijten 1983; Chandra 1986; Gupta 1986; Krikken 2009) and matched
with the reference collections present at the Zoological Survey of India
(ZSI). Identified specimens were
deposited in the National Zoological Collections of the ZSI. Species listed with asterisks are
recorded for the first time from Chhattisgarh. Photographs were taken
by second author.
Observations
Systematic
account
Family:Hybosoridae Erichson, 1847
Subfamily:
Hybosorinae Erichson, 1847
1. Hybosorus orientalisWestwood, 1845 (Image 1A)
Specimens
examined: BC, 01.vii.2011 (1ex.).
Geographical
distribution: India: Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala,
Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu,
Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal; Afghanistan; Myanmar; Nepal: Tibet;
Pakistan (Kuijten 1983; Kral & Löbl 2006).
Family:
Scarabaeidae Latreille, 1802
Subfamily: Orphninae Erichson, 1847
Tribe Orphnini
Erichson, 1847
2. Orphnus
impressus Westwood,
1845* (Image 1B)
Specimens
examined: BC, 01.vii.2011 (2 males, 3 females).
Geographical distribution:
India: Chhattisgarh, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh (Gupta 1986).
3. Orphnus parvus (Wiedemann, 1823)* (Image 1C)
Specimens
examined: BC, 01.vii.2011 (2 males).
Geographical
distribution: India: Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and West Bengal
(Chandra & Ahirwar 2007).
II. Subfamily:
Aphodiinae Leach, 1815
Tribe
Aphodiini Leach, 1815
4. Aphodius (Calaphodius)moestus Fabricius, 1801* (Image 1D)
Specimens
examined: BC, 01.vii.2011 (2 males).
Geographical
distribution: India: Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh,
Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh; Afghanistan; Bhutan; East-South Africa;
Madagascar; Nepal; Sri Lanka; Indo-China (Stebnicka 1986, 1989; Chandra &
Ahirwar 2007).
III. Subfamily:
Scarabaeinae Latreille, 1802
Tribe
Scarabaeini Latreille, 1802
5. Scarabaeus (Kheper) sanctus (Fabricius, 1798) (Image 1E)
Specimens
examined: TP, 03.vii.2011 (2 males, 1 female).
Geographical
distribution: India: Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Odisha; Pakistan (Arrow 1931; Balthasar 1963a; Chandra & Ahirwar
2007).
Tribe Sisyphini
Mulsant, 1842
6. Sisyphus (Sisyphus)longipes (Olivier, 1789)* (Image 1F)
Specimens
examined: TP, 03.vii.2011 (2 females).
Geographical
distribution: India: Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil
Nadu, and West Bengal; Sri Lanka; Myanmar (Arrow 1931; Balthasar 1963a; Chandra
& Ahirwar 2007).
Tribe
Gymnopleurini Lacordaire, 1856
7. Gymnopleurus(Gymnopleurus) cyaneus (Fabricius, 1798) (Image 1G)
Specimens
examined: TP, 03.vii.2011 (2 males, 1 females).
Geographical distribution: India: Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya
Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal;
Sri Lanka; Nepal (Arrow
1931; Balthasar 1963a; Bezdek 2006; Chandra & Ahirwar 2007).
8. Gymnopleurus(Metagymnopleurus) gemmatus Harold, 1871(Image 1I)
Specimens
examined: TP, 03.vii.2011 (1 male).
Geographical
distribution: India: Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, West Bengal,
Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu;
Afghanistan; Sri Lanka (Arrow 1931; Balthasar 1963a; Chandra & Ahirwar
2007).
9. Gymnopleurus(Metagymnopleurus) miliaris (Fabricius, 1775)* (Image 1H)
Specimens
examined: TP, 03.vii.2011 (1ex.).
Geographical
distribution: India: Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and
Kashmir, Karnataka, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand; Afghanistan; Bhutan; Pakistan;
Sri Lanka (Arrow 1931; Balthasar
1963a; Bezdek 2006; Chandra & Ahirwar 2007).
10. Garreta dejeani (Castelnau, 1840)* (Image 2A)
Specimens
examined: KDF, 04.vii.2011 (3 males).
Geographical
distribution: India: Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and
Uttarakhand (Arrow 1931; Balthasar 1963a; Chandra & Ahirwar 2007).
11. Garreta mundus (Wiedemann,
1819)* (Image 2B)
Specimens
examined: TP, 03.vii.2011 (1 female, 1 male).
Geographical
distribution: India: Bihar, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh; southwestern
China (Arrow 1931; Balthasar 1963a; Bezdek 2006; Chandra & Ahirwar 2007).
12. Paragymnopleurus
sinuatus (Olivier,
1789) (Image 2C)
Specimens
examined: KDF, 04.vii.2011 (1 female, 1 male).
Geographical
distribution: India: Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal
Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh,
Uttarakhand and West Bengal; China; Myanmar; Nepal (Arrow 1931; Balthasar 1963a;
Bezdek 2006; Chandra & Ahirwar 2007).
Tribe Coprini
Leach, 1815
13. Heliocoprisbucephalus (Fabricius, 1775) (Image 2D)
Specimens
examined: BC, 01.vii.2011 (2 females).
Geographical
distribution: India: Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh Madhya
Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal; Afghanistan;
China; Laos; Vietnam; Thailand; Myanmar; Malay Peninsula; Java (Arrow 1931;
Balthasar 1963a; Löbl et al. 2006a; Chandra & Ahirwar 2007).
14. Catharsius (Catharsius)molossus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Image 2E)
Specimens
examined: BC, 01.vii.2011 (1 male), 02.vii.2011 (1male, 1 female).
Geographical
distribution: India: Andaman and Nicobar Island, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam,
Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya
Pradesh, Meghalaya, Odisha, Sikkim, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and West
Bengal; Afghanistan; China; Nepal; Pakistan (Arrow 1931; Balthasar 1963a; Löbl
et al. 2006a; Chandra & Ahirwar 2007).
15. Catharsius (Catharsius)sagax (Quenstedt, 1806) (Image 2F)
Specimens
examined: BC, 01.vii.2011 (1male, 2 females), 02.vii.2011 (3 females), 03.vii.2011 (3 females).
Geographical
distribution: India: Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal
Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and West
Bengal; Bhutan (Arrow 1931; Balthasar 1963a; Löbl et al. 2006a; Chandra &
Ahirwar 2007).
16.Catharsius (Catharsius) pithecius (Fabricius, 1775)* (Image
2G)
Specimens
examined: BC, 01.vii.2011 (3 males, 6 females), 02.vii.2011 (2 males, 3
females), 03.vii.2011 (1 female).
Geographical
distribution: India: Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh,
Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, and
Uttar Pradesh; China; Pakistan; Sri Lanka (Arrow 1931; Balthasar 1963a; Löbl et
al. 2006a).
17. Copris(Paracopris) surdus Arrow, 1931* (Image 2H)
Specimens
examined: TP, 03.vii.2011 (1 male, 2 females).
Geographical
distribution: India: Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra,
Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand (Arrow 1931; Chandra & Ahirwar
2007).
Tribe
Onthophagini Burmeister, 1846
18. Caccobius(Caccophilus) unicornis (Fabricius, 1798)* (Image 2I)
Specimens
examined: BC, 02.vii.2011 (3 males, 2 females).
Geographical
distribution: India: Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Uttar
Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal; Borneo; China; Java; Japan; Malay; North
Korea; South Korea; Sumatra; Philippines; Vietnam; Sri Lanka (Arrow 1931;
Balthasar 1963b; Löbl et al. 2006b; Chandra & Ahirwar 2007).
19. Onthophagus (Colobonthophagus) hindu Arrow, 1931* (Image 3A)
Specimens
examined: BC, 01.vii.2011 (1 male).
Geographical
distribution: India: Chhattisgarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra, and southern India; Afghanistan; Sri Lanka (Arrow 1931; Balthasar
1963b; Löbl et al. 2006b; Chandra & Ahirwar 2007).
20. Onthophagus (Digitonthophagus)gazella (Fabricius, 1787) (Image 3B)
Specimens examined: BC, 01.vii.2011 (19
males, 14 females), 02.vii.2011 (1 female), 03.vii.2011 (1 male) dung, 04.vii.2011 (3 females).
Geographical
distribution: India: Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana,
Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan,
and Tamil Nadu; Australian region; Africa; Arabia; China; Egypt; Madagascar;
Nepal, Neartic region, Neotropical region, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka (Arrow 1931;
Balthasar 1963b; Löbl et al. 2006b; Chandra & Ahirwar 2007).
21. Onthophagus(Onthophagus) abreui Arrow, 1931*(Image 3C)
Specimens
examined: KDF, 04.vii.2011 (3 females).
Geographical
distribution: India: Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, southern
India, and Uttarakhand (Arrow 1931; Balthasar 1963b; Chandra & Ahirwar
2007).
22. Onthophagus(Onthophagus) cervus (Fabricius, 1798)* (Image 3D)
Specimens
examined: BC, 01.vii.2011 (1 male, 3 females).
Geographical
distribution: India: Andaman and Nicobar Island, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal; Sri Lanka. (Arrow
1931; Balthasar 1963b; Chandra & Ahirwar 2007).
23. Onthophagus (Onthophagus)dama (Fabricius, 1798)* (Image 3E)
Specimens
examined: BC, 01.vii.2011 (8 females).
Geographical
distribution: India: Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya
Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand;
Bhutan; Nepal; Sri Lanka (Arrow 1931; Balthasar 1963b; Chandra & Ahirwar
2007).
24. Onthophagus (Onthophagus)griseosetosus Arrow, 1931* (Image 3F)
Specimens
examined: KDF, 04.vii.2011 (1ex.).
Geographical
distribution: India: Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Uttarakhand (Arrow
1931; Balthasar 1963b; Chandra & Ahirwar 2007).
25. Onthophagus(Onthophagus) ramosus (Wiedemann, 1823)* (Image 3G)
Specimens
examined: BC, 01.vii.2011 (8 males, 5
females), 02.vii.2011 (1 male, 2 females), 03.vii.2011(2 males, 4 females).
Geographical
distribution: India: Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and
Kashmir, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Uttarakhand,
Uttar Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu (Arrow 1931; Balthasar 1963b; Chandra &
Ahirwar 2007).
26. Onthophagus(Onthophagus) spinifex (Fabricius, 1781)* (Image 3H)
Specimens
examined: BC, 03.vii.2011 (1 male).
Geographical
distribution: Bihar, Chhattisgarh, South India, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra, and West Bengal; Nepal; Sri Lanka (Arrow 1931; Balthasar 1963b;
Löbl et al. 2006b; Chandra & Ahirwar 2007).
27. Onthophagus(Onthophagus) unifasciatus (Schaller, 1783)* (Image 3I)
Specimens
examined: BC, 01.vii.2011 (2 males, 6 females).
Geographical
distribution: India: Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu,
Karnataka, and Uttar Pradesh; Sri Lanka (Arrow 1931; Balthasar 1963b).
28. Onthophagus(Onthophagus) quadridentatus (Fabricius, 1798)* (Image
4A)
Specimens
examined: TP, 03.vii.2011 (1 male).
Geographical
distribution: India: Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh,
Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan,
Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal; Sri Lanka (Arrow 1931; Balthasar
1963b).
29. Onthophagus(Proagoderus) pactolus (Fabricius, 1787) (Image 4B)
Specimens
examined: KDF, 04.vii.2011 (1 male).
Geographical
distribution: India: Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand; Nepal; Sri Lanka (Arrow 1931;
Balthasar 1963b; Löbl et al. 2006b; Chandra & Ahirwar 2007).
30. Onthophagus(Serrophorus) sagittarius (Fabricius,
1775)* (Image 4C)
Specimens
examined: BC, 01.vii.2011 (3 males, 1 female).
Geographical
distribution: India: Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, and
West Bengal; Java; Myanmar; Malay; Peninsula; southern China (Arrow 1931;
Balthasar 1963b; Löbl et al. 2006b; Chandra & Ahirwar 2007).
Tribe Onitini
Laporte, 1840
31. Onitisphilemon Fabricius, 1801* (Image 4D)
Specimens
examined: BC, 01.vii.2011 (5 males, 10 females).
Geographical
distribution: India: Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka,
Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh,
Uttarakhand, and West Bengal; China; Laos; Myanmar; Nepal; Pakistan; Sri Lanka;
Thailand; Vietnam (Arrow 1931; Balthasar 1963b; Bezdek & Krell 2006;
Chandra & Ahirwar 2007).
32. Onitis subopacusArrow, 1931* (Image 4E)
Specimens
examined: BC, 01.vii.2011 (1 male).
Geographical
distribution: India: Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh,
Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and West
Bengal; Afghanistan; Myanmar; Sri Lanka; Nepal; Pakistan (Arrow 1931; Balthasar
1963b; Bezdek & Krell 2006; Chandra & Ahirwar 2007).
Tribe
Oniticellini Kolbe, 1905
33. Oniticellus (Oniticellus)cinctus (Fabricius, 1775)* (Image 4F)
Specimens
examined: BC, 01.vii.2011 (5 males, 3 females).
Geographical
distribution: India: Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal; China;
Laos; Vietnam (Arrow 1931; Janssens 1953; Balthasar 1963b; Bezdek &Krell
2006; Chandra & Ahirwar 2007).
34. Tiniocellus spinipes (Roth, 1851)* (Image 4G)
Specimens
examined: KDF, 04.vii.2011 (4 females).
Geographical
distribution: India: Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and Uttarakhand; Africa, Nepal, and Uganda (Arrow
1931; Balthasar 1963b; Bezdek & Krell 2006; Chandra & Ahirwar 2007).
35. Tibiodrepanus setosus(Wiedemann, 1823)* (Image 4H)
Specimens
examined: BC, 01.vii.2011 (2 females, 1 male).
Geographical
distribution: India: Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh; Sri Lanka; Nepal (Arrow 1931;
Balthasar 1963b; Bezdek & Krell 2006; Chandra & Ahirwar 2007).
IV. Subfamily:
Rutelinae MacLeay, 1819
Tribe Anomalini
Streubel, 1839
36. Mimela
macleayana(Vigors, 1825)* (Image 4I)
Specimens
examined: BC, 03.vii.2011 (1 male).
Geographical
distribution: India: Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh,
and Maharashtra; Sri Lanka (Arrow 1917; Machatschke 1972; Chandra & Ahirwar
2007).
Tribe Adoretini
Burmeister, 1844
37. Adoretus duvauceli Blanchard, 1850* (Image 5A)
Specimens
examined: BC, 02.vii.2011 (1 male, 1 female).
Geographical
distribution: India: Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and
West Bengal (Arrow 1917; Machatschke 1972; Chandra & Ahirwar 2007).
V. Subfamily: Cetoniinae Leach, 1815
Tribe Gymnetini
Kirby, 1827
38. Clinteria
klugi(Hope, 1831) (Image 5B)
Specimens
examined: TP, 03.vii.2011 (1 male, 3 females).
Geographical
distribution: India: Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal; Nepal;
Sri Lanka (Arrow 1910; Mikšić 1977; Chandra & Ahirwar 2007).
Subfamily.
Dynastinae MacLeay, 1819
Tribe
Pentodontini Mulsant, 1842
39.
Phyllognathus dionysius (Fabricius, 1792) (Image 5C)
Specimens
examined: BC, 01.vii.2011 (1 male, 1 female).
Geographical
distribution: India: Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal
Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu,
Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh; China (Taiwan); Nepal; Sri Lanka
(Arrow 1910; Krell 2006; Chandra & Ahirwar 2007).
Tribe
Phileurini Burmeister, 1847
40. Eophileurus platypterus (Wiedemann, 1823)* (Image
5D)
Specimens
examined: BC, 01.vii.2011 (1 male).
Geographical
distribution: India: Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil
Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal (Arrow 1910; Chandra & Ahirwar 2007).
II. Subfamily:
Melolonthinae MacLeay, 1819
Tribe
Melolonthini Leach, 1819
41. Holotrichia
sculpticollis Blanchard, 1850*
Specimens
examined: BC, 01.vii.2011 (1 female).
Geographical
distribution: India: Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra (Chandra
& Ahirwar 2007).
42. Schizonycha ruficollis (Fabricius, 1781)* (Image
5E)
Specimens
examined: BC, 02.vii.2011 (1 male).
Geographical
distribution: India: Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Uttar
Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal (Chandra & Ahirwar 2007).
Tribe
Diplotaxini Kirby, 1837
43. Apogonia proxima Waterhouse, 1877* (Image 5F)
Specimens
examined: BC, 02.vii.2011 (1 male).
Geographical
distribution: India: Andaman and Nicobar Island, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Madhya
Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh (Chandra 1986; Bezdek 2004; Chandra & Gupta
2011).
Results and
Discussion
Altogether 43
species of scarab beetles belonging to 25 genera, 16 tribes and eight
subfamilies in two families, viz., Hybosoridae and Scarabaeidae of the
superfamily Scarabaeoidea were collected from Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary,
Chhattisgarh (Images 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5). All the species are recorded for the first time from the sanctuary,
while 31 species are new to the scarab fauna of Chhattisgarh, India. The dominant subfamily Scarabaeinae
includes 31 species followed by Melolonthinae with three species, Rutelinae,
Orphninae and Dynastinae with two species each, and subfamilies Aphodiinae,
Hybosorinae and Cetoniinae consisting of a single species each.
Within the
subfamily Scarabaeinae, seven tribes were represented, including the dung
feeders that use all three nesting strategies, viz., rollers, tunnelers, and
dwellers. The rollers, with eight species, are represented by three tribes:
Scarabaeini (1 species), Sisyphini (1 species) and Gymnopleurini (6 species).
The tunnelers constitute 19 species distributed in three tribes: Coprini (4
species), Onthophagini (13 species) and Onitini (2 species). The tribe
Oniticellini, with 3 species, represents the dwellers in the Scarabaeinae
beetle diversity of the sanctuary (Fig. 1).
In terms of
species diversity among genera, the most diverse genus is Onthophagus,
which includes 12 species. The species in the Scarabaeinae genera Scarabaeus,Sisyphus, Gymnopleurus, Garreta, Paragymnopleurus, Copris,Tiniocellus, and four species of Onthophagus (O.pactolus, O. griseosetosus, O. quadridentatus,
and O. abreui) were mostly collected from well conserved forests
at Tinsa Pathar and Kari Dongri during the day only. The highest diversity of
scarab beetles was found near Barnawapara camp with 28 species followed by
Tinsa pathar (9 spp.) and Kari Dongri Forest (6 spp.).
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