Colonization of Forest Elephant Dung by Invertebrates in the Bossematié Forest Reserve, Ivory Coast

We studied the temporal succession and species richness of invertebrates in 18 droppings of African forest elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis) in the Bossematie Forest Reserve, Ivory Coast. We identified 19 species of the Scarabaeidae and of Hydrophilidae each, and 9 species of Histeridae. The Hydrophilidae colonized fresh dung but quickly disappeared when droppings began to dry. The Scarabaeidae mainly occurred in 12-40-h-old droppings. Colonization by the predatory Histeridae peaked after 10 h, but this group persisted longer in dung than did either the Hydrophilidae or Scarabaeidae. The Staphylinidae and Diptera quickly colonized droppings, whereas Blattodea nymphs and predatory Acarina occurred relatively later.