Aphodius (Chilothorax) melanostictus W. Schmidt, 1840

Akhmetova, Lilia A., Kurochkin, Andrei S. & Frolov, Andrey V., 2024, Dung-beetles (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Aphodiinae, Scarabaeinae) feeding on faeces of steppe marmots Marmota bobak (Rodentia, Sciuridae) in Middle Volga territory, Biodiversity Data Journal 12, pp. e 125090-e 125090 : e125090-

Aphodius (Chilothorax) melanostictus W. Schmidt, 1840

Materials

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: recordedBy: A. S. Kurochkin; individualCount: 12; lifeStage: adult; occurrenceID: EA2B55F6-EDCB-5932-B832-C06D4CCDB699; Taxon: scientificName: Aphodius melanostictus ; kingdom: Animalia; phylum: Arthropoda; class: Insecta; order: Coleoptera ; family: Scarabaeidae ; genus: Aphodius ; taxonRank: species; Location: country: Russia; stateProvince: Orenburg; locality: Pervomaiskij Distr., 6.28 km SSW of Polyanskij vill., urochishche Pal’govo, gully bottom, forb-fescue steppe. ; decimalLatitude: 51.83; decimalLongitude: 50.87; georeferenceProtocol: GPS; Identification: identifiedBy: L. A. Akhmetova; dateIdentified: 2023; Event: samplingProtocol: From feces of Marmota bobak , near burrow entrance; eventDate: 2023-05 - 18; Record Level: collectionID: urn:lsid:biocol.org:col:34969; institutionCode: ZIN; collectionCode: Coleoptera

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: recordedBy: A. S. Kurochkin; individualCount: 3; lifeStage: adult; occurrenceID: B3AE70F0-579F-50EB-B984-8C8F92DDFE07; Taxon: scientificName: Aphodius melanostictus ; kingdom: Animalia; phylum: Arthropoda; class: Insecta; order: Coleoptera ; family: Scarabaeidae ; genus: Aphodius ; taxonRank: species; Location: country: Russia; stateProvince: Orenburg; locality: Pervomaiskij Distr., 7.32 km SSW of Koshkin vill., urochishche Pal’govo, gully bottom, forb-wormwood-grass steppe. ; decimalLatitude: 51.82; decimalLongitude: 50.86; georeferenceProtocol: GPS; Identification: identifiedBy: L. A. Akhmetova; dateIdentified: 2023; Event: samplingProtocol: From feces of Marmota bobak , near burrow entrance; eventDate: 2023-05 - 19; Record Level: collectionID: urn:lsid:biocol.org:col:34969; institutionCode: ZIN; collectionCode: Coleoptera

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: recordedBy: A. S. Kurochkin; individualCount: 55; lifeStage: adult; occurrenceID: 322D308B-B578-55AA-8A46-5E553714E90D; Taxon: scientificName: Aphodius melanostictus ; kingdom: Animalia; phylum: Arthropoda; class: Insecta; order: Coleoptera ; family: Scarabaeidae ; genus: Aphodius ; taxonRank: species; Location: country: Russia; stateProvince: Samara; locality: Bol’shechernigovskij distr., 3.9 km SSW of Polyanskij vill., gully bottom, forb-grass steppe. ; decimalLatitude: 51.85; decimalLongitude: 50.89; georeferenceProtocol: GPS; Identification: identifiedBy: L. A. Akhmetova; dateIdentified: 2023; Event: samplingProtocol: From feces of Marmota bobak , in toilet burrow; eventDate: 2023-04 - 28; Record Level: collectionID: urn:lsid:biocol.org:col:34969; institutionCode: ZIN; collectionCode: Coleoptera

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: recordedBy: A. S. Kurochkin; individualCount: 2; lifeStage: adult; occurrenceID: 9D14EABF-2629-521C-89F9-C8454C37B5DB; Taxon: scientificName: Aphodius melanostictus ; kingdom: Animalia; phylum: Arthropoda; class: Insecta; order: Coleoptera ; family: Scarabaeidae ; genus: Aphodius ; taxonRank: species; Location: country: Russia; stateProvince: Samara; locality: Bol’shechernigovskij distr., 2.44 km SSW of Polyanskij vill., gully Barsuchikha, forb-fescue-feather grass steppe ; decimalLatitude: 51.9; decimalLongitude: 50.93; georeferenceProtocol: GPS; Identification: identifiedBy: L. A. Akhmetova; dateIdentified: 2023; Event: samplingProtocol: From feces of Marmota bobak , in toilet burrow; eventDate: 2023-05 - 19; Record Level: collectionID: urn:lsid:biocol.org:col:34969; institutionCode: ZIN; collectionCode: Coleoptera

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: recordedBy: A. S. Kurochkin; individualCount: 12; lifeStage: adult; occurrenceID: 02829A41-2BDE-5B6F-8D53-C4A28BAD460B; Taxon: scientificName: Aphodius melanostictus ; kingdom: Animalia; phylum: Arthropoda; class: Insecta; order: Coleoptera ; family: Scarabaeidae ; genus: Aphodius ; taxonRank: species; Location: country: Russia; stateProvince: Samara; locality: Bol’shechernigovskij distr., 3.54 km SSW of Polyanskij vill., gully bottom, forb-grass steppe. ; decimalLatitude: 51.86; decimalLongitude: 50.88; georeferenceProtocol: GPS; Identification: identifiedBy: L. A. Akhmetova; dateIdentified: 2023; Event: samplingProtocol: From feces of Marmota bobak , near burrow entrance; eventDate: 2023-04 - 28; Record Level: collectionID: urn:lsid:biocol.org:col:34969; institutionCode: ZIN; collectionCode: Coleoptera

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: recordedBy: A. S. Kurochkin; individualCount: 9; lifeStage: adult; occurrenceID: F8BB424F-3BA2-58A7-822A-08AC044AA0B5; Taxon: scientificName: Aphodius melanostictus ; kingdom: Animalia; phylum: Arthropoda; class: Insecta; order: Coleoptera ; family: Scarabaeidae ; genus: Aphodius ; taxonRank: species; Location: country: Russia; stateProvince: Samara; locality: Bol’shechernigovskij distr., 3.54 km SSW of Polyanskij vill., gully bottom, forb-grass steppe. ; decimalLatitude: 51.86; decimalLongitude: 50.88; georeferenceProtocol: GPS; Identification: identifiedBy: L. A. Akhmetova; dateIdentified: 2023; Event: samplingProtocol: From feces of Marmota bobak , near burrow entrance; eventDate: 2023-04 - 28; Record Level: collectionID: urn:lsid:biocol.org:col:34969; institutionCode: ZIN; collectionCode: Coleoptera

Distribution

The species occurs in central, south and eastern Europe, North Africa, west Asia, Kazakhstan and Middle Asia. In Russia, it is distributed from the western border to Transbaikal Region, mostly in the steppe zone and the forest-steppe subzone of the deciduous forest zone.

Biology

The species occurs in open biotopes, in the dung of domestic animal and in marmot holes. On the territory of Russia, the beetles are active from March to October. The species is common throughout its range.