Digitonthophagus gazella, a dung beetle species introduced into many countries as a biological control agent for cattle dung removal, is adapted to open pastures and avoid shaded areas such as forests. With a short development period, high fecundity, and long dispersion capability, D. gazella is an effective competitor that is considered an invasive species in many countries. Until recently, only one study evaluated its possible presence in a small forest area, suggesting an invasion process might be occurring. We report here the presence of D. gazella in five distinct forest landscapes (FLs): a regenerating native forest, a reforested native forest, and three forests with exotic plant species. The FLs are embedded in an area with several other FLs, which is surrounded by a river and a pasture. However, cattle have access to these FLs. We found that the anthropogenic disturbances may be facilitating the species dispersal to shaded habitats as there was a higher abundance of D. gazella in areas where cattle were more active. The possibility of this species in invading FLs is worrisome because it has been shown that D. gazella can cause significant negative impacts to the native dung beetle community, which is of great ecological importance for the ecosystem.

Digitonthophagus gazella是作为许多牛粪清除的生物防治剂而引入许多国家的一种甲虫，它适合于开阔牧场并避开阴影区，例如森林。随着开发周期短，繁殖力高，而长分散能力，D.羚是在许多国家认为是入侵物种的有效竞争。直到最近，只有一项研究评估了它在小森林地区的可能存在，表明入侵过程可能正在发生。我们在这里报告D. gazella的存在在五个不同的森林景观（FL）中：一个再生的原生森林，一个重新造林的原生森林以及三个外来植物物种的森林。FL与其他几个FL一起嵌入一个区域，该区域被河流和牧场包围。但是，牛可以使用这些FL。我们发现，人为干扰可能促进了物种向阴暗栖息地的扩散，因为在牛活度较高的地区，瞪羚具有较高的丰度。该物种入侵FL的可能性令人担忧，因为已经表明，瞪羚可对当地的甲虫社区造成重大负面影响，这对生态系统具有重要的生态意义。