A comparative analysis of beetles of the family Scarabaeidae (sensu stricto) from "Rancho Canaletas", Paso del Macho, in central Veracruz State, Mexico, is presented. Data were obtained from january to december in 2008 in an evergreen tropical forest (SP) and a cattle grazing plot (PT), at an altitude of 500 m above sea level. Copro-necrophagous beetles were captured with traps baited with human feces or squid, and by hand in cow dung, obtaining 560 individuals from 3 families, 11 genera and 18 species. The species Canthidium centrale (Boucomont), Canthon euryscelis (Bates), Deltochilum pseudoparile (Paulian), Deltochilum scabriusculum (Bates), Eurysternus angustulus (Harold) and Sulcophanaeus chryseicollis (Harold) are exclusive to SP, and Coprophanaeus pluto (Harold) y Omorgus rubricans (Robinson) are exclusive to PT. Species richness, diversity and abundance is higher in SP than PT; the beetle fauna in this locality can be associated with the fauna from Pipiapan, Boca del Chajul and Los Tuxtlas, from the states of Veracruz and Chiapas.
