OBSERVATIONS ON THE FEEDING-BEHAVIOR OF TETRAECHMA-TARSALIS (BALTHASAR 1939) (COLEOPTERA SCARABAEIDAE CANTHONINA)

We report new observations an the feeding habits of the small. Canthon ina beetle Tetraechma tarsalis (Balthasar 1939), endemic to the arid z ones of central Argentina. The species has been hitherto reported as f eeding only on vizcacha dung pellets. Nevertheless, according to both laboratory and field observations, we describe a broader range of trop hic habits and a very large spectrum of feeding behaviours. We briefly discuss the hypothesis that the display of such an opportunistic beha viour may be related to environmental changes due to human activity. O ur data agree with the hypothesis that dung beetles are provided with a much wider ethological valence than that they usually express in nat ure.