Dominance of African racial ancestry in honey bee colonies of Mexico 30 years after the migration of hybrids from South America.

The Africanized honey bee, a hybrid of Apis mellifera scutellata from Africa with European subspecies, has been considered an invasive species and a problem for beekeeping. Africanized bees arrived in Mexico in 1986, 30 years after their accidental release in Brazil. Although government programs were implemented for its eradication, Africanized populations persist in Mexico, but precise information on the patterns of genetic introgression and racial ancestry is scarce. We determined maternal and parental racial ancestry of managed and feral honey bees across the five beekeeping regions of Mexico, using mitochondrial (mtDNA, COI-COII intergenic region) and nuclear markers (94 ancestrally informative SNPs), to assess the relationship between beekeeping management, beekeeping region, altitude, and latitude with the distribution of maternal and parental racial ancestry. Results revealed a predominantly African ancestry in the Mexican honey bees, but the proportion varied according to management, beekeeping regions, and latitude. The Mexican honey bees showed 31 haplotypes of four evolutionary lineages (A, M, C, and O). Managed honey bees had mitochondrial and nuclear higher proportions of European ancestry than feral honey bees, which had a higher proportion of African ancestry. Beekeeping regions of lower latitudes had higher proportions of African nuclear ancestry. Managed and feral honey bees showed differences in the proportion of maternal and nuclear racial ancestry. Managed honey bees from the Yucatan Peninsula and feral honey bees had a higher mtDNA than nuclear proportions of African ancestry. Managed honey bees, except those on the Yucatan Peninsula, had a higher nuclear than mtDNA proportion of African ancestry. Our study demonstrates that Africanized honey bee populations are genetically diverse and well established in Mexico, which highlights the limitations of management and government programs to contain the Africanization process and demands the incorporation of this lineage in any breeding program for sustainable beekeeping.

Anthropogenic land-use change decreases pollination and male and female fitness in terrestrial flowering plants.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The majority of the earth's land area is currently occupied by humans. Measuring how terrestrial plants reproduce in these pervasive environments is essential for understanding their long-term viability and their ability to adapt to changing environments. METHODS: We conducted hierarchical and phylogenetically-independent meta-analyses to assess the overall effects of anthropogenic land-use changes on pollination, and male and female fitness in terrestrial plants. KEY RESULTS: We found negative global effects of land use change (i.e., mainly habitat loss and fragmentation) on pollination and on female and male fitness of terrestrial flowering plants. Negative effects were stronger in plants with self-incompatibility (SI) systems and pollinated by invertebrates, regardless of life form and sexual expression. Pollination and female fitness of pollination generalist and specialist plants were similarly negatively affected by land-use change, whereas male fitness of specialist plants showed no effects. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that angiosperm populations remaining in fragmented habitats negatively affect pollination, and female and male fitness, which will likely decrease the recruitment, survival, and long-term viability of plant populations remaining in fragmented landscapes. We underline the main current gaps of knowledge for future research agendas and call out not only for a decrease in the current rates of land-use changes across the world but also to embark on active restoration efforts to increase the area and connectivity of remaining natural habitats.

Hotter-is-not-better: A study on the thermal response of a winter active and nocturnal beetle.

While there are numerous examples of thermogenesis processes in poikilothermic insects that maintain a stable temperature for a certain time and in certain parts of the body, there is a lack of information on ectothermic insect species capable of remaining active under "cold" conditions that would be challenging for other species. Such a thermal strategy would imply the existence of a metabolism that can operate at different temperatures without the need to increase body temperature when experiencing cold environmental conditions. This "hotter-is-not-better" thermal strategy is considered ancestral and conjectured to be linked to the origin and evolution of endothermy. In this study, we examined the thermal performance of a large-bodied dung beetle species (Chelotrupes momus) capable of being active during the winter nights in the Iberian Mediterranean region. Field and laboratory results were obtained using thermocamera records, thermocouples, data loggers and spectrometers that measured ultraviolet, visible and near-infrared wavelengths. The thermal data clearly indicated that this species can remain active at a body temperature of approximately 6 °C without the need to warm its body above ambient temperature. Comparing the spectrophotometric data of the species under study with that from other previously examined dung beetle species indicated that the exoskeleton of this particular species likely enhances the absorption of infrared radiation, thereby implying a dual role of the exoskeleton in both heat acquisition and heat dissipation. Taken together, these results suggest that this species has morphological and metabolic adaptations that enable life processes at temperatures that are typically unsuitable for most insect species in the region.

Taking advantage of opportunistically collected historical occurrence data to detect responses to climate change: The case of temperature and Iberian dung beetles.

This study introduces a novel approach to leverage high-resolution historical climate data and opportunistically collected historical species occurrence data for detecting adaptive responses to global change. We applied this procedure to the temperature data and the most comprehensive Iberian dataset of dung beetle occurrences as an illustrative example. To understand how populations of different species are responding, we devised a procedure that compares the temporal trend of spatial and temperature variables at the locations and times of all the occurrence data collection (overall trend) with the specific temporal trends among the occurrences of each species. The prevalence of various species responses is linked to life history or taxonomic characteristics, enabling the identification of key factors influencing the propensity to experience different effects from climate change. Our findings suggest that nearly half of the Iberian dung beetle species may be adversely affected by temperature increases, with a geographic shift being the most common response. The results generated through the proposed methodology should be regarded as preliminary information, serving to formulate hypotheses about the diverse responses of species to climate change and aiding in the selection of candidate species capable of coping with challenges posed by changing temperatures.

Gone with the wind: Negative genetic and progeny fitness consequences of habitat fragmentation in the wind pollinated dioecious tree Brosimum alicastrum.

PREMISE: Habitat fragmentation negatively affects population size and mating patterns that directly affect progeny fitness and genetic diversity; however, little is known about the effects of habitat fragmentation on dioecious, wind pollinated trees. We assessed the effects of habitat fragmentation on population sex ratios, genetic diversity, gene flow, mating patterns, and early progeny vigor in the tropical dioecious tree, Brosimum alicastrum. METHODS: We conducted our study in three continuous and three fragmented forest sites in a Mexican tropical dry forest. We used eight microsatellite loci to characterize the genetic diversity, gene flow via pollen distances, and mean relatedness of progeny. We compared early progeny vigor parameters of seedlings growing under greenhouse conditions. RESULTS: Sex ratios did not deviate from 1:1 between habitat conditions except for one population in a fragmented habitat, which was female biased. The genetic diversity of adult trees and their offspring was similar in both habitat conditions. Pollen gene flow distances were similar across habitat types; however, paternity correlations were greater in fragmented than in continuous habitats. Germination rates did not differ between habitat conditions; however, progeny from fragmented habitats produced fewer leaves and had a lower foliar area, total height, and total dry biomass than progeny from continuous habitats. CONCLUSIONS: Changes in mating patterns because of habitat fragmentation have negative effects on early progeny vigor. We conclude that negative habitat fragmentation effects on mating patterns and early progeny vigor may be a serious threat to the long-term persistence of tropical dioecious trees.

Long-term spatiotemporal patterns in the number of colonies and honey production in Mexico.

Honey bee decline is currently one of the world's most serious environmental issues, and scientists, governments, and producers have generated interest in understanding its causes and consequences in honey production and food supply. Mexico is one of the world's top honey producers, however, the honey bee population's status has not been documented to date. Based on 32 years of data from beekeeping, we make a country-level assessment of honey bee colony trends in Mexico. We use generalized additive mixed models to measure the associations between the percent change in honey bee hives and the percent change in honey yield per hive in relation to land-use, climate, and socioeconomic conditions. Despite the fact that the average annual yield per hive increased from 1980 to 2012, we detected a significant decline in the percent change in the number of honey bee hives across the time period studied. We also found a relationship between climatic conditions and agricultural land use, with agriculture increases and high temperatures producing a decrease in the percent change in honey yield. We found a relationship between a reduction in the temperature range (the difference between maximum and minimum temperatures) and a decrease in the percent change in the number of hives, while socioeconomic factors related to poverty levels have an impact on the number of hives and honey yields. Although long-term declines in hive numbers are not correlated with poverty levels, socioeconomic factors in states with high and medium poverty levels limit the increase in honey yield per hive. These results provide evidence that land-use changes, unfavorable climatic conditions, political, and socioeconomic factors are partially responsible for the reductions in the percent change in honey bee hives in Mexico.

Genetic diversity, asexual reproduction and conservation of the edible fruit tree Spondias purpurea L. (Anacardiaceae) in the Costa Rican tropical dry forest.

The term circa situm has been used to describe different conservation strategies within agricultural landscapes. Circa situm conserves planted or remnant species in farmlands, where natural vegetation has been modified through anthropogenic intervention. It has been proposed that trees planted or retained under circa situm conditions may contribute to maintaining genetic diversity, however information on the role of this strategy in preserving genetic diversity is scarce. The aim of this study was to determine the levels of genetic diversity and structure, and mating patterns in planted and unmanaged stands of the tropical fruit tree Spondias purpurea L. in north western Costa Rica. In three localities, we used seven polymorphic microsatellite loci and genotyped 201 adults and 648 seeds from planted and wild stands. We found no differences in genetic diversity among planted and wild stands. Genetic structure analysis revealed that gene flow occurs among planted and wild stands within localities. Clones were present and their diversity and evenness were both high and similar between planted and wild stands. The number of pollen donors per progeny array was low (Nep = 1.01) which resulted in high levels of correlated paternity (rp = 0.9). Asexual seeds were found in 4.6% of the progeny arrays, which had multilocus genotypes that were identical to the maternal trees. Our results show that although planted stands under circa situm conditions can maintain similar levels of genetic diversity than wild stands, the low number of sires and asexual seed formation could threaten the long term persistence of populations.

Can the spectrophotometric response of the elytra explain environmental preferences? A study in seven Onthophagus species (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae).

Beetles are the most successful and diversified animal taxa characterized by the possession of an external pair of sclerotized wings (elytra). Managing electromagnetic radiations could be one of the functions of the exoskeleton. We studied the spectrophotometric response to ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared radiations of the elytra of seven closely related and sympatric Onthophagus species to examine if the environmental preferences of these species could be associated with the spectrophotometric behaviour of their elytra. Our results indicated that sibling species can drastically differ in their environmental preferences but not in their spectrophotometric responses. However, our results corroborated that there are interspecific differences in the spectrophotometric characteristics of the elytra, which are mainly explained by morphological features. Among the examined morphological variables, darkness seems to be especially relevant as it facilitates the absorbance and obstructs the transmittance of visible and near-infrared radiations.

Seasonal variation in the diel activity of a dung beetle assemblage.

The seasonal and diel variations of dung beetle species were studied in an Iberian mid-mountain locality to examine the interaction between these two temporal rhythms. We assume that a seasonal variation in the diel activity would support the notion that both rhythms may assist in achieving a quick and flexible response when the climatic conditions change. Data coming from 4,104 pitfall traps placed during 15 sampling periods and totalling 30 daily sampling cycles were analysed using circular statistics and General Linear Models. A wide variety of seasonal patterns are observed, highlighting those species with a clear unimodal or spring-autumn bimodal seasonal pattern. However, a midday diel pattern is the norm in most of the species, except in the case of those exhibiting a high body weight that prefer dusk or night periods. We hypothesize that most of the dung beetle species fly at noon to promote the passive heating of their muscle activity and minimize the metabolic energy expenditure. Results only partially support the seasonal variation in diel activity. Diel preferences are mainly manifested at the time of the year in which the abundance is greater. Approximately two-thirds of the considered species exhibit a similar diel activity along their seasonal active period. As consequence, a significant portion of the dung beetle species currently inhabiting Mediterranean mid-mountains are not able to use the daily variation in climatic conditions to limit the inconveniences of climate change.

First detection of Gongylonema species in Geotrupes mutator in Europe.

The detection of three Gongylonema sp. infective larvae in two specimens of the dung beetle Geotrupes mutator (Marsham, 1802) from western Spain is reported here for the first time in Europe. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed that the analyzed specimens belong to the genus Gongylonema, but it was not possible to determine the species identity by the lack of morphological information in the literature and because many of the phenotypic characteristics had not yet fully developed at this juvenile stage. Nevertheless, a phylogenetic analysis using amplified cox1 nucleotide sequences has revealed that the studied larvae could be clearly discriminated (< 89% identity) from all the other Gongylonema cox1 sequences available in public genetic databases. While our results are limited by the scarcity of genetic information available for this genus, the possibility that the analyzed specimens might correspond to a new species should not be ruled out, and more studies are needed. The results provided in this report indicate that G. mutator is involved in the transmission cycle of Gongylonema sp. to vertebrates in Europe.

Diversity and foraging patterns of bees on flowers of Cucurbita pepo (Cucurbitaceae) in Costa Rica

Abstract Introduction: The species and functional diversity of pollinators are important components for the reproduction of cultivated plants. More information is necessary about this diversity and its geographical variation in crops such as Cucurbita pepo, an important crop in global agriculture. Objective: To describe the taxonomic diversity, geographic variation and foraging patterns of the community of bees that visit C. pepo crops in Costa Rica. Methods: Squash fields were visited at 11 locations within three geographic regions of the country, where the groups of bees and their relative frequency were determined. Through video recordings, information was obtained on their behavior at two locations. Results: A minimum of 27 species belonging to 19 genera and 2 families of bees were found. Three species were dominant in 10 localities (Eucera limitaris, Apis mellifera and Trigona corvina). Altitude reduces bee diversity due to the dominance of Bombus ephipiatus in high regions. Two genera of halictids (Megalopta and Caenaugochlora) that are rarely reported in this crop were frequently observed. Trigona bees dominated among the flowers later in the morning, lacerating nectary holes to facilitate nectar collection. Conclusions: Squash fields in Costa Rica are visited by a highly diverse bee community, which may ensure pollination via complementarity in the face of spatial or seasonal changes in environmental conditions.

Resumen Introducción: Dada la importancia del componente diversidad para la polinización de plantas cultivadas, es necesario obtener más información de esta diversidad y su variación geográfica en cultivos como Cucurbita pepo, uno de los cultivos más importantes de la agricultura centroamericana. Objetivo: Describir la diversidad y la variación geográfica de la comunidad de abejas que visitan este cultivo en Costa Rica, y algunos aspectos de sus patrones de búsqueda de alimento. Métodos: Se visitaron cultivos de C. pepo en 11 localidades dentro de tres regiones geográficas de Costa Rica, donde se determinó los grupos de abejas y su frecuencia relativa. Por medio de grabaciones de video se registró el comportamiento de cada grupo en dos localidades. Resultados: Fueron encontradas un mínimo de 27 especies pertenecientes a 19 géneros y 2 familias de abejas. Tres especies son dominantes en 10 localidades (Eucera limitaris, Apis mellifera y Trigona corvina). La altitud reduce la diversidad de abejas debido a la dominancia de Bombus ephipiatus en regiones altas. Se observaron dos géneros de halíctidos (Megalopta y Caenaugochlora) no previamente reportados en este cultivo. Abejas Trigona dominan las flores en horarios más tardíos de la mañana, donde algunas veces muerden los orificios de los nectarios para facilitar la recolecta de néctar. Conclusiones: La diversidad de abejas que visitan C. pepo en Costa Rica parece asegurar su polinización ante cambios espaciales o estacionales en condiciones ambientales.

Biomagnification and body distribution of ivermectin in dung beetles.

A terrestrial test system to investigate the biomagnification potential and tissue-specific distribution of ivermectin, a widely used parasiticide, in the non-target dung beetle Thorectes lusitanicus (Jekel) was developed and validated. Biomagnification kinetics of ivermectin in T. lusitanicus was investigated by following uptake, elimination, and distribution of the compound in dung beetles feeding on contaminated faeces. Results showed that ivermectin was biomagnified in adults of T. lusitanicus when exposed to non-lethal doses via food uptake. Ivermectin was quickly transferred from the gut to the haemolymph, generating a biomagnification factor (BMFk) three times higher in the haemolymph than in the gut after an uptake period of 12 days. The fat body appeared to exert a major role on the biomagnification of ivermectin in the insect body, showing a BMFk 1.6 times higher than in the haemolymph. The results of this study highlight that the biomagnification of ivermectin should be investigated from a global dung-based food web perspective and that the use of these antiparasitic substances should be monitored and controlled on a precautionary basis. Thus, we suggest that an additional effort be made in the development of standardised regulatory recommendations to guide biomagnification studies in terrestrial organisms, but also that it is necessary to adapt existing methods to assess the effects of such veterinary medical products.

Visible and near-infrared radiation may be transmitted or absorbed differently by beetle elytra according to habitat preference.

BACKGROUND: The exoskeleton of an insect could be an important factor in the success of its evolutionary process. This reaches its maximum expression in beetles, which constitute the most diversified animal taxon. The involvement in the management of environmental radiation could be one of the most important functions of the exoskeleton due to the passive contributions to the thermoregulation of body temperature. We study whether the elytra of two sympatric and closely related beetle species respond differentially to the radiation of distinct wavelengths in agreement with their ecological preferences. METHODS: Onthophagus coenobita (Herbst) and O. medius (Kugelaan) occupy different habitats and environmental conditions (shaded vs. unshaded from solar radiation). The potential adaptive variations to thermoregulation under these different ecological conditions were studied using the responses of their exoskeletons to radiation of different wavelengths (ultraviolet, visible and near-infrared). For these two species, the amounts of the three wavelengths that were reflected, transmitted or absorbed by the exoskeleton were measured using of a spectrophotometer. In addition, the darkness and thickness of the elytra were examined to determine whether these two features influence the management of radiation by the exoskeleton. RESULTS: Both species differ in the management of visible and near-infrared radiation. In agreement with habitat preferences, the species inhabiting shaded conditions would allow infrared and visible radiation to penetrate the elytra more easily to heat internal body parts, while the elytra of the heliophilous species would have increased absorbance of these same types of radiation. An increase in body size (and therefore in elytron thickness) and the quantity of dark spots may serve as barriers against exogenous heat gain. However, the maintenance of between-species differences independent of the effects of these two morphological features led us to suspect that an unconsidered elytron characteristic may also be affecting these differences. DISCUSSION: The results of the involvement of the exoskeleton thickness and spots in the thermoregulation of insects opens new research lines to obtain a better understanding of the function of the exoskeleton as a passive thermoregulation mechanism in Coleoptera.

Author Correction: First assessment of the comparative toxicity of ivermectin and moxidectin in adult dung beetles: Sub-lethal symptoms and pre-lethal consequences.

A correction to this article has been published and is linked from the HTML and PDF versions of this paper. The error has been fixed in the paper.

Habitat fragmentation reduces plant progeny quality: a global synthesis.

Most of the world's land surface is currently under human use and natural habitats remain as fragmented samples of the original landscapes. Measuring the quality of plant progeny sired in these pervasive environments represents a fundamental endeavour for predicting the evolutionary potential of plant populations remaining in fragmented habitats and thus their ability to adapt to changing environments. By means of hierarchical and phylogenetically independent meta-analyses we reviewed habitat fragmentation effects on the genetic and biological characteristics of progenies across 179 plant species. Progeny sired in fragmented habitats showed overall genetic erosion in contrast with progeny sired in continuous habitats, with the exception of plants pollinated by vertebrates. Similarly, plant progeny in fragmented habitats showed reduced germination, survival and growth. Habitat fragmentation had stronger negative effects on the progeny vigour of outcrossing- than mixed-mating plant species, except for vertebrate-pollinated species. Finally, we observed that increased inbreeding coefficients due to fragmentation correlated negatively with progeny vigour. Our findings reveal a gloomy future for angiosperms remaining in fragmented habitats as fewer sired progeny of lower quality may decrease recruitment of plant populations, thereby increasing their probability of extinction.

First assessment of the comparative toxicity of ivermectin and moxidectin in adult dung beetles: Sub-lethal symptoms and pre-lethal consequences.

Among macrocyclic lactones (ML), ivermectin (IVM) and moxidectin (MOX) potentially affect all Ecdysozoan species, with dung beetles being particularly sensitive. The comparative effects of IVM and MOX on adult dung beetles were assessed for the first time to determine both the physiological sub-lethal symptoms and pre-lethal consequences. Inhibition of antennal response and ataxia were tested as two intuitive and ecologically relevant parameters by obtaining the lowest observed effect concentration (LOEC) values and interpolating other relevant toxicity thresholds derived from concentration-response curves (IC50, as the concentration of each ML where the antennal response is inhibited by half; and pLC50, as the quantity of ingested ML where partial paralysis was observed by half of treated individuals) from concentration-response curves. Both sub-lethal and pre-lethal symptoms obtained in this study coincided in that IVM was six times more toxic than MOX for adult dung beetles. Values of LOEC, IC50 and pLC50 obtained for IVM and MOX evaluated in an environmental context indicate that MOX, despite needing more time for tis elimination in the faeces, would be twice as harmful to dung beetles as IVM. This approach will be valuable to clarify the real impact of MLs on dung beetle health and to avoid the subsequent environmental consequences.

A procedure to assess the spatial variability in the importance of abiotic factors affecting distributions: the case of world freshwater fishes.

Understanding the factors shaping species' distributions is a key longstanding topic in ecology with unresolved issues. The aims were to test whether the relative contribution of abiotic factors that set the geographical range of freshwater fish species may vary spatially and/or may depend on the geographical extent that is being considered. The relative contribution of factors, to discriminate between the conditions prevailing in the area where the species is present and those existing in the considered extent, was estimated with the instability index included in the R package SPEDInstabR. We used 3 different extent sizes: 1) each river basin where the species is present (local); 2) all river basins where the species is present (regional); and 3) the whole Earth (global). We used a data set of 16,543 freshwater fish species with a total of 845,764 geographical records, together with bioclimatic and topographic variables. Factors associated with temperature and altitude show the highest relative contribution to explain the distribution of freshwater fishes at the smaller considered extent. Altitude and a mix of factors associated with temperature and precipitation were more important when using the regional extent. Factors associated with precipitation show the highest contribution when using the global extent. There was also spatial variability in the importance of factors, both between species and within species and from region to region. Factors associated with precipitation show a clear latitudinal trend of decreasing in importance toward the equator.

Distribution of Canthon rutilans rutilans and Canthon rutilans cyanescens Along Spatio-Temporal and Temperature Gradients.

Subspecies is a debated taxonomic rank that, in some cases, could indicate that a speciation process is taking place. Studying the degree of co-occurrence among subspecies along environmental gradients may help to determine its taxonomic status. In this study, we explore the distribution of two subspecies of Canthon rutilans along spatio-temporal and temperature gradients in the Atlantic Forest of southern Brazil in order to reinforce their current subspecies status or to support their consideration as two different species. A yearly survey conducted along an elevational transect (from 250 m to 1630 m) shows that there is no spatio-temporal overlap between the two taxa. We collected 899 individuals of Canthon rutilans cyanescens and 29 individuals of Canthon rutilans rutilans. C. rutilans cyanescens can be found at 250 m (all year except in June), 430 m (August to April), and 840 m (September to April) in elevation, and when the air temperature oscillates from 15.3 °C to 24.0 °C. C. rutilans rutilans can be found at 1360 m (October to February), 1630 m (January) in elevation, and when the air temperature oscillates from 14.4 °C to 18.6 °C. Furthermore, local temperature data taken during the survey indicates that both subspecies also have a limited overlap in their thermal response curves. All these results suggest that these two taxa could be considered as two different species with dissimilar physiological and ecological requirements probably as a consequence of temperature-mediated divergent adaptation. Further molecular data can confirm or reject this supposition in the near future.

Comparative thermoregulation between different species of dung beetles (Coleoptera: Geotrupinae).

Insects can use thermoregulation to keep their body temperatures within a certain range in response to thermal stress situations. The mechanisms to regulate internal temperature depend on whether species are endothermic or ectothermic species, i.e., if the heat source is internal and/or external. In this study, the thermal stress response due to excess heat was examined in individuals belonging to different species of the Geotrupinae subfamily by using a standardized protocol based on infrared thermography. All the measured heat stress variables allow discrimination among the considered species to a greater or lesser extent. The body heating rate in the heat stress range, the critical thermal maximum and the stress start temperature were the most important variables in discriminating between apterous and winged individuals (R2 = 52.5%, 51.1% and 50.0%, respectively). Examining the degree of association between the physiological similarity of individuals and some species traits suggest that flying capability and daily activity are related with different thermal responses. Based on the obtained results, the Geotrupinae subfamily can be divided into three ecophysiological groups: good, medium and non-thermoregulators. Within these groups, apterism appears mainly in those species with the ability to actively decrease their body temperature. Our results indicate that this ability may be partially due to the management of water loss related with evaporative cooling.

Elytra Absorb Ultraviolet Radiation but Transmit Infrared Radiation in Neotropical Canthon Species (Coleoptera, Scarabaeinae).

Strategies to deal with global radiation may be related to important aspects of species biology and ecology by reflecting, transmitting or absorbing the radiation of varying wavelengths differently. The elytra capacity to manage infrared, visible and ultraviolet radiations (from 185 to 1400 nm) was assessed with a spectrophotometric analysis in five Canthon species of dung beetles; we calculated the reflectance, transmittance and absorbance capacity of the elytra of these species. These species have different ecologies: two species preferentially inhabit forest areas (Canthon angularis and Canthon lividus lividus), two species preferentially inhabit open areas (Canthon chalybaeus and Canthon tetraodon) including agricultural crops, and one species does not present a clear habitat preference and can be found in both habitats (Canthon quinquemaculatus). All the species show a similar pattern in which the light from shorter wavelengths and higher frequencies is almost entirely absorbed by the elytra, while radiation from longer wavelengths and lower frequencies can mostly pass through the elytra. However, C. quinquemaculatus seems to have significantly higher rates of reflectance and transmittance in the visible- and near-infrared spectrum. This different pattern found in C. quinquemaculatus may be associated with its capacity to establish populations both in agricultural and forest areas.