Ecosystem-services
Guides
Histeridae
clown beetles, hister beetles
Histeridae is a cosmopolitan family of predatory beetles containing more than 410 genera and 4,800 described species worldwide. Members are commonly known as clown beetles or hister beetles. They are immediately recognizable by their shortened elytra that leave two abdominal tergites exposed, and their elbowed antennae with clubbed, lamellate ends. The family exhibits remarkable ecological diversity, with species occupying niches ranging from carrion and dung to ant and termite colonies, forest litter, and tree bark. Their predatory habits on fly larvae and other arthropods have made them valuable for biological control and forensic entomology.
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.
Oscarinus rusicola
Oscarinus rusicola is a dung beetle species in the family Scarabaeidae, found across much of Canada and the northern and eastern United States. It is primarily associated with cattle dung, where it buries feces into soil. This activity reduces methane emissions, recycles nutrients, and suppresses pest fly populations. The species is sensitive to cattle parasiticides that persist in dung.
Pheidole obscurithorax
Large Imported Big-headed Ant
Pheidole obscurithorax is a large, dark, dimorphic ant native to northern Argentina and Paraguay. It was introduced to Mobile, Alabama in the early 1950s and has since spread along an 80-km-wide coastal band between Alabama and Tallahassee, Florida. The species is characterized by worker dimorphism with enlarged-headed majors and has demonstrated rapid population growth in invaded areas, with nest density increasing 6.4-fold over two years in Tallahassee. It coexists with the red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta) and appears to have minimal negative impact on native ant communities, being part of a largely exotic ant assemblage adapted to disturbed habitats.
Teuchestes fossor
gravedigger dung beetle
Teuchestes fossor is a coprophagous dung beetle native to the Palaearctic region that has become widespread in North America following accidental introduction during European settlement. Both adults and larvae feed on herbivore dung, with adults consuming liquid fractions and larvae consuming fibrous material. The species is readily collected from livestock dung and supports key ecosystem services in cattle systems. It is one of the most frequently observed dung beetles in its range, with over 600 citizen science records.