Aphodius pedellus

(De Geer, 1774)

Aphodius pedellus is a small dung beetle native to Europe that has been introduced to North America, where it is now widespread and common in cattle pastures. It was long confused with Aphodius fimetarius as part of a , but morphological and studies have confirmed them as distinct . In Canada, only A. pedellus is present; A. fimetarius is absent. North American show reduced genetic diversity consistent with introduction during European settlement.

Aphodius pedellus by (c) Luke Padon, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Luke Padon. Used under a CC-BY license.Aphodius pedellus by (c) Thilina Hettiarachchi, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Thilina Hettiarachchi. Used under a CC-BY license.Aphodius pedellus - inat 140443695 by {{{name}}}. Used under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Aphodius pedellus: //æˈfoʊdiəs pɛˈdɛləs//

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Identification

Distinguished from the closely related Aphodius fimetarius by morphological characters that require detailed examination; the two were historically treated as . Identification to species level typically requires examination of male genitalia or .

Images

Habitat

Cattle on pastures.

Distribution

Native to the Palearctic region (Europe including Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland; also recorded from India and Nepal). Introduced and established in the Nearctic region, including Canada (Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan) and the United States (Colorado).

Diet

Feeds on cattle ; larvae live and feed within manure.

Life Cycle

Larvae develop in , then dig into soil beneath to pupate. Likely one per year.

Ecological Role

Tunneling activity in pats aerates manure, which has been shown to reduce methane emissions under anaerobic conditions. This -mediated aeration may mitigate greenhouse gas contributions from cattle farming.

Human Relevance

Contributes to services in cattle farming by potentially reducing methane emissions from manure. Introduced in North America with no documented negative impacts.

Similar Taxa

  • Aphodius fimetariusHistorically confused as part of a ; distinguished by morphological and genetic differences. A. fimetarius is absent from Canada while A. pedellus is present.

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Sources and further reading