Modelling Distribution of Onthophagus Species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in Sarawak

Abstract

Dung beetles (Genus: Onthophagus) are members of the family Scarabaeidae and the subfamily Scarabaeinae. Despite their small size and unattractive appearance, dung beetles play an important role in the ecosystem, and they are widely recognised as one of the most effective bioindicators of ecosystem health. Although there has been an increase in dung beetle studies in Peninsular Malaysia, there are very few ecological studies of dung beetles conducted in Sarawak, despite being the largest state of Malaysia. Therefore, this study aims to provide recent information on the distributions of dung beetles from the genus Onthophagus in Sarawak. A total of 32 occurrences data for eight selected Onthophagus species representing 11 localities were successfully recorded. All analyses were performed using the Maximum Entropy Modelling Version 3.4.4 (MaxEnt) and Quantum Geographic Information Systems 3.28.2 (QGIS) software. It is revealed that most dung beetles’ distributions are strongly influenced by temperature and precipitation which suggests its capabilities as a bioindicator to identify high biodiversity areas. In conclusion, this study could be beneficial to identify the potential hotspot areas for biodiversity conservation and effective management practices in Sarawak.