Coprophage
Guides
Milichiidae
freeloader flies, jackal flies, filth flies
Milichiidae is a family of minute acalyptrate flies comprising approximately 250 species in 19 genera across three subfamilies (Madizinae, Milichiinae, Phyllomyzinae). Adults are best known for kleptoparasitic behavior, feeding on bodily fluids of prey captured by predatory invertebrates such as spiders, assassin bugs, and mantids. They are attracted to olfactory cues released by killed prey, particularly Heteroptera and Hymenoptera. Larvae develop in decaying organic matter including rotting vegetation, wood, bark, manure, and carrion. Some species have forensic importance due to association with corpses, while others exhibit myrmecophilous associations or phoretic behaviors.
Onthophagus nuchicornis
Small black-and-brown Dung Beetle
Onthophagus nuchicornis is a Palearctic dung beetle introduced to North America in the 1840s, now established across Canada and the northern United States. The species exhibits generalist coprophagy, successfully reproducing using dung from both domestic livestock and indigenous mammals including bobcat, moose, red fox, and raccoon. It possesses an obligatory cold reproductive diapause restricting it to a single generation per year. In the United Kingdom, it is listed as Vulnerable, while in North America it is abundant and has been employed as a model organism for ecotoxicological studies of ivermectin effects on dung burial behavior.
dung-beetleintroduced-speciescoprophagediapauseecotoxicology-modelpasture-ecosystemsexual-dimorphismivermectin-effectsgeneralist-feederPalaearctic-nativeNearctic-introducedsingle-generation-per-yearbrood-balltunneling-behaviorcompetition-with-native-speciesCLIMEX-bioclimatic-modelnutrient-cyclingsoil-aerationcattle-pasture-managementVulnerable-(UK)Phanaeus vindex
Rainbow Scarab, Rainbow Dung Beetle
Phanaeus vindex is a medium-sized tunneling dung beetle native to eastern and central North America. Adults are sexually dimorphic and exhibit striking metallic coloration, with males bearing a prominent curved horn. The species creates complex underground tunnel systems beneath dung deposits, constructing both brood balls for reproduction and food caches for adult feeding. It is the most widespread Phanaeus species in the United States and demonstrates behavioral plasticity in response to temperature, adjusting burial depth of food caches under warmer conditions. The species provides important ecosystem services through dung removal, nutrient cycling, and secondary seed dispersal.