SCARABAEID BEETLES ( COLEOPTERA ) OF KANHA TIGER RESERVE , MADHYA PRADESH

Kanha Tiger Reserve is one of the oldest and best managed wildlife reserves in Central India. This tiger reserve was included in Project Tiger in first phase i. e., in the year 1973-74. The reserve is extended into the two districts e.g., Mandla and Balalghat district in Madhya Pradesh. The total area of the tiger reserve is .'1945 sq. km., the core zone includes the park area of 945 sq. km. and the buffer zone is 1000 sq. km. This is located in the Central Indian Highlands of the Satpura and the Maikal Range. Geographically, it lies between 22° 1 '5" and 22°27'48" North Latitudes and 80°26'10" and 81 °4'40" East Longitudes and at 1299 m above sea level. It is well diversified area , , famous for its abundance of varieties of animals, including insects, birds and mammals.


INTRODUCTION
Kanha Tiger Reserve is one of the oldest and best managed wildlife reserves in Central India.This tiger reserve was included in Project Tiger in first phase i. e., in the year 1973-74.The reserve is extended into the two districts e.g., Mandla and Balalghat district in Madhya Pradesh.The total area of the tiger reserve is .'1945 sq. km., the core zone includes the park area of 945 sq.km. and the buffer zone is 1000 sq.km.This is located in the Central Indian Highlands of the Satpura and the Maikal Range.Geographically, it lies between 22° 1 '5" and 22°27'48" North Latitudes and 80°26'10" and 81 °4'40" East Longitudes and at 1299 m above sea level.It is well diversified area , , famous for its abundance of varieties of animals, including insects, birds and mammals.
The first comprehensive account of Scarabaeid beetles of the Indian region was published by Arrow (1910Arrow ( , 1917Arrow ( and 1931) ) in three volumes of Fauna of British India, wherein 58 species were reported from Madhya Pradesh, which was the earlier part of Central India.Frey (1971) reported 3 species of genus Holotrichia from Central India.Kuitjen (1978Kuitjen ( , 1981Kuitjen ( and 1984) ) revised the species of subfamily Hybosorinae of genus Phaeochrous, Hybosorus and reported 3 species from Central India.Chandra (2000) published an Inventory of Scarabaeid beetles of which revealed the presence of 94 species belonging to 30 genera under 9 subfamilies.While working on the faunal diversity of Pac~marhi Biosphere Reserve, Chandra and Singh (2004) recorded 18 species of Scarabaeid beetles belonging to 11 genera under 6 subfamilies.Newton and Malcolm (1985) is the only publication on dung beetles of Kanha Tiger Reserve, where in 15 species were recorded.
Since then, no study on the group was undertaken.During the year 2003-04, four extensive surveys were undertaken and more than 700 specimens of the Scarabaeid beetles (applying the light trap and ground searching method) from various localities i.e., kisli rest house campus, Gubdudi nala, Kanha, Sonph, Sondhar, Shravan Tall, Baisanghat, Mukki, Supkhar etc. were collected from the various kind of habitats (Table 2) and 61 species of Scarabaeid beetles belonging to 27 genera and eight subfamilies are identified (Table 1).Of these, 14 species are new to the fauna of Madhya Pradesh and 48 species are recorded for the first time from Kanha Tiger Reserve.

HABIT AND HABITAT
The Scarabaeid beetles occur in various habitats.Copris species have nesting behaviour, collect their food in the underground chamber inside the burrows and utilize it during the breeding period.The species of Gymnopleurus gemmatus and G. cyaneus and Phalops divisus and P. olivaceus are generally attracted to the wet dung of Wild boar during the rains and dung balls are made, which are rolled to their nest.
The Cetoniinae beetles are diurnal and collected from the long grasses of Themeda~ Granida and Sacchharum in the meadows areas.Where as the species of Melolonthinae, Rutelinae and Dynastinae commonly known as grub beetle feed on leaf, stem and roots of the trees, are collected during the night by the light trap.
LIST OF SCARABAEID BEETLES OF KANHA TIGER RESERVE (w.s.r. to their status in tiger reserve) Abbreviation used: K.T.R.-Kanha Tiger Reserve; KNKTR-Known from Tiger Reserve; NRKTR-New Record from Kanha Tiger Reserve; NRMP-New Record from Madhya Pradesh; C-Common; VC-Very Common; R-Rare; Coll.-Collection; exs.,-Number of examples.
The species of subfamily Scarabaeinae are dominant in the different kinds of dungs and manure.The species like Onthophagus dama, o. catta, O. cervus, O. bonasus and Caccobius sp. were found in the dung of elephant, where as on Gaur and cow dung more than 15 species collected and the species viz., Onthophagus catta, O. bonassus, O. sagittarius, O. cervus, O. ramosus, O. tarandus were common.Two species i.e., Gymnopleurus and Sisyphus sp. were commonly present in the Tiger (Panthera tigris) dung.The single specimen of Onthophagus pactolus, which occurred in the dung of Chital (Axis axis) and other species viz., Onthophagus bonasus and O. catta were collected in the dung of Barasingha.Aphodius and Caccobius species were present in the dung of Hanuman Langur.The genera Onitis, Oniticellus and Drepanocerus are mostly collected from the dry dung of Chital and Gaur in open grounds.