Journal article

Breeding ecology of the rainforest dung beetle Cephalodesmius armiger (Scarabaeidae) in Tooloom National Park

EA Dalgleish, MA Elgar

AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY | CSIRO PUBLISHING | Published : 2005

Abstract

The ecology of the rainforest dung beetle Cephalodesmius armiger was investigated in Tooloom National Park, within the high-altitude rainforest of north-east New South Wales. We observed considerable overlap in the brood-rearing stages of the breeding cycle. The operational sex ratio was female-biased. Biparental care is provided in this species, but it is not obligatory; females reared one brood either in partnership with a male or alone, and males did or did not pair with a female and rear a brood. There was spatial variation in the density of burrows. The availability of brood-burrows for brood rearing appears to be limited and evidence of the recycling of brood-burrows was collected for ..

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