Monday, December 10, 2007 - 8:05 AM
0554

Do dung beetles respond to ivermectin residues?: Examination of the olfactory cues used by dung beetles (Aphodius spp.) in finding dung pats

Justin G. Fiene, Justin.Fiene@smail.astate.edu and Tanja McKay, TMckay@astate.edu. Arkansas State University, Department of Biological Sciences, P.O. Box 1860, Jonesboro, AR

The behavioral responses of Labarrus pseudolividus Balthasar (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) to olfactory cues released by ivermectin-treated bovine dung collected 7 d after topical application and untreated bovine dung were examined using a Y- tube olfactometer. Previous studies have shown some beetles to be attracted and repelled to ivermectin-treated dung. Beetles preferred dung over no stimulus. However, when given a choice between treated and untreated manure, a chi squared analysis revealed no significant difference. It is premature to speculate the implications of these results because this study is the first to examine L. pseudolividus for altered attractiveness due to ivermectin therapy. However, L. pseudolividus is a very wide-spread species which can occur in high numbers, and thus provides baseline data for future research.


Species 1: Coleoptera Scarabaeidae Aphodius spp