Past, present and future of dung beetle research in Argentina

Taxonomically, 20 tribes, 270 genera, 7,000 living, and 23 fossil species have been included within the dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeinae). In Argentina, 247 species have been reported. Ecologically, relevance has been attributed to these insects due to the burial of organic matter (dung or carrion), which is carried out for feeding or as nesting provisions. Through this burial process, dung beetles perform several ecological functions. Several reviews on the distribution of dung beetles have been published at global and continental scales, while the current state in Argentina remains unknown. Based on this context, in this review we explored the temporal and spatial progress of studies involving dung beetles in the country and identified information gaps to propose the main challenges for future research in Argentina. We searched literature using Google Scholar and Web of Science. We found a total of 81 studies, the first published in 1944; however, we observed an exponential increase since the 2000s, accounting for 78 % of all studies published in the country. We observed that most of studies and species in the Paranaense rainforest ecoregion and Misiones province. We recommend future studies address the ecological functions and physiology of dung beetles.