A Remarkable Beetle — IELTS Reading Answers

Bush flies are easier to control than buffalo flies.

“Australia's native dung beetles are scrub and woodland dwellers, specialising in coarse marsupial droppings and avoiding the soft cattle dung in which bush flies and buffalo flies breed”

The text says native beetles avoid cattle dung where bush flies and buffalo flies breed; it never compares how easy those two fly species are to control.

Four thousand species of dung beetle were initially brought to Australia by the CSIRO.

“Between 1968 and 1982, the CSIRO imported insects from about 50 different species of dung beetle, from Asia, Europe and Africa, aiming to match them to different climatic zones in Australia”

The CSIRO imported about 50 different species between 1968 and 1982, not 4,000, so the figure is contradicted.

Dung beetles were brought to Australia by the CSIRO over a fourteen-year period.

“Between 1968 and 1982, the CSIRO imported insects from about 50 different species of dung beetle”

Imports ran between 1968 and 1982, a span of fourteen years, matching the statement.

At least twenty-six of the introduced species have become established in Australia.

“Of the 26 species that are known to have become successfully integrated into the local environment, only one, an African species released in northern Australia, has reached its natural boundary”

The text says 26 species became successfully integrated into the local environment, which is at least twenty-six.

The dung beetles cause an immediate improvement to the quality of a cow pasture.

“In time they multiply and within three or four years the benefits to the pasture are obvious”

Benefits appear only in time, within three or four years, so the improvement to the pasture is not immediate.

“South African beetles dig narrow tunnels of approximately 20 cm below the surface of the pat”

The diagram label needs the beetle type making narrow tunnels about 20 cm below the pat; the text names South African beetles.

“Some large species originating from France excavate tunnels to a depth of approximately 30 cm below the dung pat”

The label needs the origin of large beetles excavating about 30 cm below the dung pat; the text says these come from France.

“The shallowest tunnels belong to a much smaller Spanish species that buries dung in chambers that hang like fruit from the branches of a pear tree”

The label needs the species with the shallowest tunnels and hanging chambers; the text names a much smaller Spanish species.

“In the cooler environments of the state of Victoria, the large French species (2.5 cms long) is matched with smaller (half this size), temperate-climate Spanish species”

The table needs the climate type matching the smaller Spanish beetles in Victoria; the text calls them temperate-climate Spanish species.

“The latter, which multiply rapidly in early spring, produce two to five generations annually”

The table needs when these beetles multiply rapidly; the text says they multiply rapidly in early spring.

“The latter, which multiply rapidly in early spring, produce two to five generations annually”

The table needs the number of generations per year; the text says they produce two to five generations annually.

“The South African ball-rolling species, being a subtropical beetle, prefers the climate of northern and coastal New South Wales where it commonly works with the South African tunnelling species”

The table needs the climate the ball-rolling species prefers; the text calls it a subtropical beetle favouring northern and coastal New South Wales.

“The South African ball-rolling species, being a subtropical beetle, prefers the climate of northern and coastal New South Wales where it commonly works with the South African tunnelling species”

The table needs the species it commonly works with; the text says it works with the South African tunnelling species.