Wednesday, 29 October 2003
D0457

This presentation is part of : Display Presentations, Section A. Systematics, Morphology, and Evolution

Dung beetles (Scarabaeinae) in the Upper Guinean forests of Ankasa, Ghana

Douglas Foster and Keith Philips. Western Kentucky University, Department of Biology, Bowling Green, KY

Studies of dung beetles in Ankasa Conservation Area, including Nini-Sushien National Park, and surrounding areas have begun to document new species and study the ecology of this group. Ankasa is the best remaining example of Upper Guinean forest left in Ghana and studies of its dung beetle fauna have never been undertaken. This area is currently under intense pressure from high human population growth, forest destruction, and rampant bush meat hunting. Ankasa was also the last region known to contain Miss Waldrons Red Colobus, the first primate to go extinct in the 20th century. Ecological studies include those on dung preference, foraging height, perching behavior, activity periods, and the effects of forest degradation on dung beetle diversity.

Species 1: Coleoptera Scarabaeidae (dung beetle)
Keywords: ecology, diversity

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