Atlas of dung beetles collected in the Sungai Wain Protection Forest and its surroundings in the lowlands of Borneo

Abstract

Dung beetles (coprophagous groups of Scarabaeoidea) are useful indicators of habitat quality in tropical regions. To evaluate dung beetle diversity in a variety of land use types, we carried out beetle surveys using pitfall traps baited with human excrement and fish meat from 2004 to 2017 in the Sungai Wain Protection Forest and its surroundings located 10–40 km north of Balikpapan in the lowlands of East Kalimantan, Indonesia. From these surveys, we collected 68 dung beetle species. To help identify these species, we presented photographs and diagnoses of all collected species and included photographs of useful characteristics for discriminating similar species. There is no previously published atlas of dung beetles in Indonesia. Despite only covering a small area on Borneo Island, we hope this atlas will help entomologists and insect lovers in Indonesia identify dung beetles.