Tumblebug
Guides
Boreocanthon depressipennis
A small dung beetle in the family Scarabaeidae, recorded from sand dune habitats in eastern New Mexico. Observed rolling rodent scats, suggesting a role in processing small mammal waste in arid environments. The genus Boreocanthon comprises dung beetles with distributions centered in western North America.
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.
Canthon humectus
Canthon humectus is a species of dung beetle in the family Scarabaeidae, originally described by Thomas Say in 1832 as Ateuchus humectus. The species belongs to the genus Canthon, commonly known as tumblebugs, which are characterized by their habit of rolling dung into balls. It is recognized as having eight subspecies, including the nominate subspecies Canthon humectus humectus. The species has been reported from North America and Oceania, with confirmed presence in Hawaii.
Canthon imitator
tumblebug
Canthon imitator is a dung beetle species in the family Scarabaeidae, first described by Brown in 1946. The species belongs to the genus Canthon, a group commonly known as tumblebugs for their behavior of rolling dung into balls. Like other Canthon species, C. imitator navigates using celestial objects. The species occurs in both Nearctic and Neotropical regions, with records from the southwestern United States and multiple Mexican states.
Canthon vigilans
vigilant dung beetle, Vigilant Tumblebug
Canthon vigilans, commonly known as the vigilant dung beetle or Vigilant Tumblebug, is a species of dung beetle in the family Scarabaeidae. It is a member of the tribe Canthonini, which includes roller dung beetles. The species is found across much of North America, from southern Canada through the eastern and central United States. As a tumblebug, it exhibits the characteristic behavior of forming dung balls and rolling them away for burial and larval provisioning.
Canthon viridis
Canthon viridis is a species of dung beetle in the family Scarabaeidae. It belongs to the genus Canthon, commonly known as tumblebugs for their behavior of rolling dung into balls. The species is native to North America and has been documented across a broad geographic range including the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Like other members of its genus, it is associated with dung decomposition and nutrient cycling in terrestrial ecosystems.