Coprophagy
Guides
Aglossa pinguinalis
Large Tabby, Grease Moth
Aglossa pinguinalis is a pyralid moth commonly known as the large tabby or grease moth. The species exhibits a rare feeding strategy among Lepidoptera: coprophagy, with larvae consuming animal feces. Larval development spans approximately two years, and the species shows strong habitat affinity for caves and sheltered environments. It is native to the Palearctic region but has been introduced to North America and New Zealand.
Apheloria montana
mountain cherry millipede
Apheloria montana is a large flat-backed millipede in the family Xystodesmidae, native to the southern Appalachian Mountains of eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina. It serves as the type species for the genus Apheloria. The species produces hydrogen cyanide and benzaldehyde as chemical defenses, which emit a characteristic cherry or almond odor. Its bright yellow or orange spots function as aposematic coloration warning predators of its toxicity.
Aphodiinae
Small Dung Beetles
Aphodiinae is a large and diverse subfamily of Scarabaeidae comprising more than 3,500 described species across over 380 genera and 12 tribes. Members are commonly known as small dung beetles, though not all species are associated with dung. The subfamily exhibits varied life strategies including coprophagy, detritivory, saprophagy, predation, inquilinism in ant or termite nests, and sand-dwelling habits. Aphodiines are found worldwide in diverse habitats from temperate rainforests to alpine zones and coastal dunes.
Boreocanthon ebenus
Boreocanthon ebenus is a small dung beetle in the family Scarabaeidae, tribe Canthonini. The species has been observed in sand dune habitats in eastern New Mexico, where individuals were seen rolling small rodent scats. It belongs to a genus of dung beetles primarily distributed in North America.
Coprini
Coprini is a tribe of dung beetles within the scarab subfamily Scarabaeinae, comprising over 900 species across 21 genera. Members are characterized as tunnelers that bury dung in shallow tunnels for nest construction. The tribe exhibits a cosmopolitan distribution with particular diversity in tropical regions. Taxonomic boundaries of Coprini remain provisional, with phylogenetic relationships and generic placements subject to ongoing revision.
Copris fricator
Frigid Dung Beetle
Copris fricator is a species of dung beetle in the family Scarabaeidae. The species is known from northeastern North America, with records from Ontario, Québec, and Vermont. It belongs to the genus Copris, a group of dung beetles that typically construct burrows beneath dung deposits and provision them with dung for larval development.
Geotrupes stercorarius
dor beetle, dumbledore, Common Dor Beetle
Geotrupes stercorarius is an earth-boring dung beetle in the family Geotrupidae, commonly known as the dor beetle or dumbledore. It is widespread throughout Europe and has been introduced to parts of North America. Adults are coprophagous, feeding primarily on the dung of herbivorous animals with a documented preference for horse dung. The species exhibits distinctive parental care behavior, with both sexes cooperating to construct deep burrows beneath dung and provision brood chambers for larval development.
Onthophagini
Onthophagine dung beetles
Onthophagini is a large and ecologically significant tribe of dung beetles within the family Scarabaeidae. The tribe comprises approximately half of the world's dung beetle fauna, with the genus Onthophagus alone containing over 2,300 species worldwide. Members are found on every continent except Antarctica. The tribe originated from a single common ancestor shared with the Oniticellini, with which it forms a monophyletic group. While many dung beetles are known for ball-rolling behavior, Onthophagini species exhibit diverse feeding strategies including specialization on fungi, carrion, and dead millipedes, with some species living in close association with termites and ants.
Oomorphus floridanus
Oomorphus floridanus is a leaf beetle in the family Chrysomelidae, first described by Horn in 1893. The species occurs in the Caribbean and North America, with documented association with young pine foliage. Unusually among leaf beetles, it has been observed engaging in coprophagy, specifically feeding on the excreta of the eastern woodrat (Neotoma floridana).
Scarabaeinae
true dung beetles, dung beetles
Scarabaeinae is a subfamily of scarab beetles comprising the true dung beetles. Adults typically feed on dung, though some species consume carrion, decaying fruit, or fungi. The subfamily is divided into three functional guilds—rollers (telecoprids), tunnelers (paracoprids), and dwellers (endocoprids)—based on dung processing behavior. Members exhibit modified mouthparts with an expanded clypeus covering the mandibles, and possess a space between the middle legs for dung manipulation. The subfamily originated in the Lower Cretaceous (115–130 million years ago) and is hypothesized to have co-evolved with dinosaurs.
Scarabaeoidea
Scarabs, Stag Beetles, Dung Beetles, Fruit and Flower Chafers
Scarabaeoidea is a superfamily of beetles comprising approximately 35,000 described species, with around 200 new species described annually. It is the sole superfamily within the infraorder Scarabaeiformia. The group includes diverse families such as Scarabaeidae (scarabs, dung beetles, chafers), Lucanidae (stag beetles), Geotrupidae (earth-boring scarabs), and Bolboceratidae. Many species exhibit distinctive circularly polarized light reflection from their cuticles, produced by helicoidal stacks of chitin microfibrils. The superfamily is currently undergoing taxonomic revision at the family level.
Scathophaga stercoraria
yellow dung fly, golden dung fly
Scathophaga stercoraria, commonly known as the yellow dung fly or golden dung fly, is a widespread and abundant dipteran species found across the Northern Hemisphere. Adults are sexually dimorphic: males display bright golden-yellow coloration with orange-yellow fur on the front legs, while females are duller with green-brown tinges and lack the brightly colored leg fur. The species is strongly associated with the dung of large mammals, where it breeds and where males establish territories to intercept females. Adults are predatory, feeding on smaller insects and occasionally nectar, while larvae are coprophagous, developing within dung. The species has become an important model organism in evolutionary biology, particularly for studies of sexual selection, sperm competition, and life history evolution.