The Dung Beetle Fauna (Scarabaeidae) of the Steinfeld — a best practice model for a permanent pasture

The dung beetles (Scarabaeidae) of the Steinfeld a best practice model for a permanent pasture. In the years 2018 and 2019 a survey of the dung beetle fauna was carried out on a permanent pasture in the southern Vienna Basin near Eggendorf (Lower Austria). Three surveys (July 2018, October 2018 and May 2019) were conducted on five dung piles each. Twenty-one species with a total of 1737 individuals could be recorded. This high number of individuals and the species richness is remarkable. This biodiversity is probably best explained by the factor that this pasture is permanently grazed and no deworming agents are used. In 2018 and 2019 a survey of the dung beetle fauna was carried out on a permanent pasture near Eggendorf, Lower Austria. In three passages (July 2018, October 2018 and May 2019), 5 dunghaps were examined. 21 species were detected with a total of 1737 individuals. This high number of individuals and also species richness are remarkable. Biodiversity may be explained by the use of the area as a permanent pasture and the renunciation of deworming agents.