Seasonal activity and species composition of dung beetles inhabiting cattle pastures in Arkansas with notes on the mass occurrence of Labarrus pseudolividus Balthasar

Species composition and seasonal distribution of dung beetles were studied on beef cattle pastures in Arkansas. The study site represented two similar, adjacent pastures with 34 heifers on a standard rotational grazing scheme. A transect of ten dung-baited pit-fall traps (spaced ~22 m apart) were placed along the fence row which separated the two pastures. Baiting and collecting of beetles occurred on a weekly schedule from March 2007 through September 2008. Species diversity and selected seasonal distributions will be presented. One species, Labarrus pseudolividus Balthasar, will be discussed with regards to a collection of 24,203 individuals in one trap, while adjacent traps yielded 323 and 47 individuals, respectively. Other collections for L. pseudolividus suggest additional mass occurrences.