POPULATION FLUCTUATIONS OF EUSPILOTUS RUBRICULUS (COLEOPTERA, HISTERIDAE), A POULTRY FARM IN PELOTAS, RS, BRAZIL

ABSTRACT This paper reports the population fluctuation of Euspilotus rubriculus (Coleoptera, Histeridae) collected from Arend’s traps (“tube” type) and “sandwich” type, from April 2002 to March 2003, at the aviary Conjunto Agrotécnico Visconde da Graça (CAVG), located in Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. In this period 219 specimens of E. rubriculus were captured, the period of largest occurrence being the month of February (72), when the average monthly temperature was 24.7º C, while the smallest collection index occurred in the months of May and September (1). E. rubriculus presented a variation of population density along the year, with the largest average captures obtained in the months with higher average temperatures, demonstrating the potential importance of this species in aviaries.