Scarabaeinae
Guides
Boreocanthon
Boreocanthon is a genus of ball-rolling dung beetles in the family Scarabaeidae, comprising thirteen recognized species. The genus is endemic to North America, with a distribution spanning from southern Canada to central Mexico. Species exhibit strong ecological associations with specific vegetation biomes, including eastern coniferous forests, prairies, arid shrublands, and desert habitats.
Boreocanthon puncticollis
A small dung beetle in the family Scarabaeidae, subfamily Scarabaeinae. The genus Boreocanthon comprises species primarily distributed in western North America. The specific epithet 'puncticollis' refers to punctation on the pronotum. This species has been observed in sand dune habitats in eastern New Mexico, where individuals were seen rolling small rodent scats.
Canthon
tumblebugs, dung rollers
Canthon is a genus of ball-rolling dung beetles (telocoprids) commonly known as tumblebugs, distributed across the Nearctic and Neotropical regions. Adults are known for their distinctive behavior of forming dung balls and rolling them away from source material for feeding or nesting. The genus exhibits notable behavioral diversity, with some species employing 'sit and wait' perching strategies to detect dung through chemoreception, while others actively follow animals. Several species show color polymorphism that may be linked to thermal adaptation and elevational distribution.
Canthon blumei
Canthon blumei is a dung beetle species in the tribe Canthonini, described by Halffter & Halffter in 2003. It is known from Texas, USA, within the Nearctic region. As a member of the genus Canthon, it belongs to a group of beetles commonly referred to as "tumblebugs" for their behavior of rolling dung into balls.
Canthon cyanellus
Dung beetle
Canthon cyanellus is a dung beetle species in the family Scarabaeidae, first described by LeConte in 1859. The species belongs to the genus Canthon, a group of dung beetles commonly known as "tumblebugs" for their behavior of rolling dung into balls. It occurs across a broad geographic range spanning the southern United States through Mexico and Central America into northern South America. The species has been recorded from Texas in the Nearctic realm and from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, and Brazil in the Neotropical realm.
Copris inemarginatus
Copris inemarginatus is a species of dung beetle in the family Scarabaeidae, described by Blatchley in 1918. As a member of the genus Copris, it belongs to a group of tunneling dung beetles that bury dung for larval provisioning. The species has been documented in Florida, USA. Information regarding its specific ecology, behavior, and detailed morphology remains limited in available sources.
Deltochilini
Deltochilini is a large tribe of dung beetles in the subfamily Scarabaeinae, comprising approximately 800 species across 120 genera. Members exhibit substantial variation in size (2–33 mm) and body form. The tribe has undergone taxonomic revision, with Deltochilini restored as the valid name over the junior synonym Canthonini. Despite historical classification based on morphological traits such as reduced tibial dentition, these characteristics have limited phylogenetic support.
Deltochilum scabriusculum
Deltochilum scabriusculum is a species of dung beetle in the family Scarabaeidae, distributed from the southern United States through Mexico and Central America. The subspecies D. s. montanum was synonymized with the nominate form in a 2012 taxonomic revision. Like other members of its genus, it belongs to a group historically associated with dung-feeding behavior, though specific ecological studies for this species are lacking.
Dichotomius
Dichotomius is a genus of scarab beetles (Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) established by Hope in 1838. Species in the genus are medium-sized to large dung beetles, with members of the depressicollis species group measuring 17.4–27.3 mm. The genus belongs to the tribe Dichotomiini and is distributed across the Neotropical and Nearctic regions.
Liatongus
Liatongus is a genus of dung beetles in the subfamily Scarabaeinae, family Scarabaeidae. The genus contains 38–46 species, with 17 species occurring in Africa. Members are small to medium-sized beetles, ranging from 7.4 to 10.9 mm in length. The genus is distributed across three major biogeographic regions: Afrotropical, Oriental to eastern Palearctic, and western Nearctic.
Malagoniella
Malagoniella is a genus of dung beetles in the family Scarabaeidae, tribe Deltochilini. It was described by Martinez in 1961 and was formerly classified within the tribe Canthonini. The genus contains approximately 10 described species distributed in the Neotropical region.
Melanocanthon punctaticollis
Melanocanthon punctaticollis is a small dung beetle species described by Schaeffer in 1915. It belongs to the tribe Deltochilini within the scarab subfamily Scarabaeinae. The species is known from Florida, USA, and like other members of its genus, is likely associated with dung decomposition. It is among the least documented species in its genus, with limited published biological data.
Oniticellini
Oniticellini is a tribe of scarab beetles within the subfamily Scarabaeinae, commonly known as true dung beetles. The tribe comprises one of the largest and most ecologically significant groups of dung beetles globally, accounting for approximately half of the world's dung beetle fauna. Species in this tribe exhibit diverse nesting behaviors, with most acting as tunnelers that bury dung below droppings, while some genera such as Oniticellus and Tragiscus function as dwellers that create brood cavities within or beneath dung. Oniticellini and the related tribe Onthophagini share a single common ancestor and have achieved worldwide distribution except for Antarctica.
Onitini
Onitini is a tribe of dung beetles within Scarabaeidae, erected by Frederic William Hope. The tribe comprises approximately 18 genera including the type genus Onitis and the diverse genus Cheironitis. Members are primarily distributed across arid regions of the Palaearctic and Afrotropical regions, with some species extending into the Oriental region. These beetles are associated with dung decomposition in dryland ecosystems.
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.
Onthophagus cavernicollis
Cave-dwelling Dung Beetle
Onthophagus cavernicollis is a dung beetle species in the family Scarabaeidae, first described by Howden and Cartwright in 1963. The species epithet "cavernicollis" suggests a possible association with cave or subterranean habitats, though specific ecological details remain limited. Like other members of the genus Onthophagus, it is presumed to be a dung-feeding beetle involved in nutrient recycling. The species has been documented in the south-central United States.
Onthophagus knausi
Onthophagus knausi is a dung beetle species in the family Scarabaeidae, first described by Brown in 1927. It belongs to the large genus Onthophagus, which contains numerous species known for their role in dung decomposition and distinctive male horn polymorphisms. The species is recorded from the central United States, with distribution records from Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, and Texas.
Onthophagus orpheus
Green-bronze Dung Beetle
Onthophagus orpheus is a dung beetle in the family Scarabaeidae, abundant in urban forests of the eastern United States. Males possess prominent thoracic horns used in combat for access to females, with horn size varying continuously across individuals. The species has been extensively studied for its sexual selection dynamics and serves as a model for urban adaptation in insects. A high-quality genome assembly has been published to support research on behavioral ecology and population genetics.
Onthophagus schaefferi
Onthophagus schaefferi is a species of dung beetle in the family Scarabaeidae, described by Howden and Cartwright in 1963. It belongs to the genus Onthophagus, a large and diverse group of dung beetles known for their ecological role in nutrient recycling and their complex sexual selection dynamics involving horned males. The species has been recorded from Texas in the United States and Veracruz in Mexico, placing it within the Nearctic and Neotropical biogeographic realms. Like other members of its genus, it likely participates in dung burial behavior, though specific details for this species remain limited.
Phanaeus amithaon
Phanaeus amithaon is a species of dung beetle in the family Scarabaeidae. It is a member of the genus Phanaeus, which includes several North and Central American species known for their bright metallic coloration and distinctive horns in males. The species occurs in the southwestern United States and across much of Mexico.
Phanaeus quadridens
Phanaeus quadridens is a species of dung beetle in the family Scarabaeidae, subfamily Scarabaeinae. It belongs to the genus Phanaeus, a group known for their role in dung burial and nutrient recycling. The species has been documented in the southwestern United States and Mexico. Two subspecies are recognized: P. q. quadridens and P. q. borealis.
Pseudocanthon
Pseudocanthon is a genus of dung beetles in the family Scarabaeidae, tribe Deltochilini. The genus comprises approximately 10 valid species and two subspecies, with five species recorded in South America. Three South American species were described as new in a 2021 taxonomic revision: P. vazdemelloi, P. pantanensis, and P. chaquensis. The genus was historically treated as a subgenus of Canthon but is now recognized at generic rank.