Onthophagus batesi
Harold, 1867
Onthophagus batesi is a dung beetle in the Scarabaeidae, distributed across Central America, Mexico, and parts of the southern United States. The species belongs to a renowned for male horn and complex dynamics. Like other Onthophagus species, it is associated with mammal for feeding and breeding. It was described by Harold in 1867 and has also been classified under the genus Phalops.
Pronunciation
How to pronounce Onthophagus batesi: /ɒnˈθɒfəɡəs ˈbeɪtsi/
These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.
Distribution
Recorded from Central America ( Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama), Mexico (Campeche, Chiapas, Colima, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Michoacán, Morelos, Oaxaca, Puebla, San Luis Potosí, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Yucatán), Colombia (Vaupés), Martinique, and the United States (Texas). The spans both Neotropical and Nearctic realms.
More Details
Taxonomic Note
The authority is cited as both Harold (1867) and Howden & Cartwright (1963) in different sources, reflecting historical taxonomic revisions. The Catalogue of Life lists it as a synonym of Phalops batesi, though GBIF and other sources maintain it in Onthophagus.
Sources and further reading
- BugGuide
- Wikipedia
- GBIF taxonomy match
- iNaturalist taxon
- NCBI Taxonomy
- Catalogue of Life
- The Bird Brain Game: What It's All About | Bug Squad
- Battles Beneath the City Park: What Urban Dung Beetles Reveal About Sexual Selection
- By Recycling Leftover Genes, Beetles Make New Horns and Eyes
- Is This Caterpillar Trying to Look Like a Velvet Worm?
- dung beetle | Blog
- In Enemy Garb: A New Explanation for Wasp Mimicry