Telocoprid
Guides
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 pilularius
common tumblebug, Eastern Tumblebug
Canthon pilularius is a ball-rolling (telocoprid) dung beetle in the family Scarabaeidae, commonly known as the common tumblebug or Eastern Tumblebug. It is one of five North American species in the pilularius species group. Adults are known for their distinctive behavior of forming dung balls and rolling them away from deposition sites for burial and larval development.