... the spectral and morphological adaptations of the DRA in a nocturnal ball-rolling dung beetle–the only family of insects demonstrated to orient to the dim polarisation pattern in the night sky. Intracellular recordings revealed polarisation-sensitive green photoreceptors in the DRA of E s carabaeus satyrus...

... competitors, is to follow a single straight bearing. While ball-rolling dung beetles manage to roll their dung balls along nearly perfect straight paths when traversing flat terrain, the paths that they take when traversing more complex (natural) terrain are not well understood. In this study, we investigate...

... in their capacity for thermal plasticity under temperature fluctuations. We reared Onthophagus taurus dung beetles in either low or high temperature fluctuation treatments and quantified thermal plasticity of metabolism of pupae and adults. We found that adults were thermally plastic and pupae were not. Next, we...

... was unlikely to be important in these species. In turn, these studies have been criticized on analytical grounds. In this study we investigated variation in cuticular and respiratory water loss rates in five Scarabaeus dung beetle species, all of which show discontinuous gas exchange cycles, to ascertain...

...Marie Dacke; Peter Nordström; Clarke H. Scholtz SUMMARY The polarisation pattern of skylight offers many arthropods a reference for visual compass orientation. The dung beetle Scarabaeus zambesianus starts foraging at around sunset. After locating a source of fresh droppings,it forms a ball...

... The Company of Biologists Limited 2002 2002 Circellium bacchus discontinuous gas exchange cycle respiration spiracle Scarabaeidae dung beetle subelytral cavity The terrestrial dominance of insects is attributed mainly to their ability,amongst other adaptations, to resist desiccation...