Differences in temporal utilization patterns of dung pats among three scarabaeid dung beetles

1. Differences in the temporal utilization patterns of dung pats were investigated among three dung beetle species, Aphodius haroldianus, Onthophagus lenzii and Liatongus phanaeoides, and density effects of three species on emigration from a dung pat were compared.
2. A. haroldianus preferred fresh dung pats, immigrated to fresh pats and then emigrated from those pats quickly (mean duration of residence 48.4 h), whereas L. phanaeoides immigrated to older dung pats (over 7 days after deposition) as well as fresh ones and remained in the pats for the longest time (165.6 h).O. lenzii showed intermediate behavior in this respect (63.3 h).
3. In A. haroldianus, the presence of conspecifics induced faster emigration than presence of the other two species. L. phanaeoides showed the opposite relationship. In O. lenzii, the response to conspecifics was intermediate to those of the other two species.