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Oxysternon silenus

Oxysternon silenus CASTELNAU, 1840

Languages: English

Description

Body length

12 to 19, mean 16.8 mm

Author(s): Larsen, Trond
Rights holder(s): Larsen, Trond

Dry weight (biomass)

79 mg

Author(s): Larsen, Trond
Rights holder(s): Larsen, Trond

Ecology and Distribution

Distribution

Costa Rica to Bolivia

Author(s): Larsen, Trond
Rights holder(s): Larsen, Trond

Habitat

Very widespread and fairly common in lowland floodplain forest, river-edge forest and Mauritia palm swamp; less abundant but still fairly common in cerrado, primary and secondary terra firme forest and bamboo up to 1150 m. In Bolivia, reported also from cerrado, semideciduous forest and low Chaco palm forest (Hamel et al 2009). Reported up to 3000 m (Edmonds 2004), but records doubtful

Author(s): Larsen, Trond
Rights holder(s): Larsen, Trond

Trophic Strategy

Dung, less often to carrion

Author(s): Larsen, Trond
Rights holder(s): Larsen, Trond

Taxonomy

  • Oxysternon aeneum Olsoufieff 1924 (synonym)
  • Oxysternon sericeum Olsoufieff 1924 (synonym)
  • Oxysternon silenus subsp. chicheryi Arnaud, 2001 (synonym)
  • Oxysternon silenus subsp. dufouri Arnaud, 2001 (synonym)
  • Oxysternon silenus subsp. jossi Arnaud, 2001 (synonym)
  • Oxysternon silenus subsp. peruanus Pereira, 1943 (synonym)
  • Oxysternon silenus subsp. zagurii Arnaud, 2001 (synonym)
  • Oxysternon smaragdinum Olsoufieff 1924 (synonym)
  • Oxysternon zikani PEREIRA, 1943 (synonym)

References

Arnaud, P. (2002).  Les coleopteres du monde. Volume 28: Phanaeini. 151. Canterbury: Hillside Books.
Edmonds, W. D., & Zidek J. (2004).  Revision of the Neotropical dung beetle genus Oxysternon (Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae: Phanaeini). Folia Heyrovskyana Supplementum. 11, 1-58.
Hamel-Leigue, A. C., Herzog S. K., Mann D. J., Larsen T. H., Gill B. D., Edmonds W. D., et al. (2009).  Distribution and natural history of the dung beetle tribe Phanaeini (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) in Bolivia. Kempffiana. 5, 43-95.
Larsen, T. H. (2004).  Dung beetles / escarabajos peloteros. (VriesendorpC., Rivera ChavezL., MoskovitsD., ShoplandJ., Ed.).Peru: Megantoni. Rapid Biological Inventories Report. Report 15, 77-84, 185-192. Chicago, Illinois: The Field Museum.
Larsen, T. H., & Forsyth A. (Submitted).  Dung Beetles of the Upper Amazon. [Book about the ecology, natural history, distribution, identification and conservation of Scarabaeine dung beetles of the southwest Amazon in Peru and Bolivia, based on unpublished research by the authors and many other researchers.].
Spector, S., & Ayzama S. (2003).  Rapid turnover and edge effects in dung beetle assemblages (Scarabaeidae) at a Bolivian Neotropical forest-savanna ecotone. Biotropica. 35, 394-404. Abstract