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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Water, Rove, Scarab, Longhorn, Leaf and Snout Beetles (Polyphaga) » Scarab, Stag and Bess Beetles (Scarabaeoidea) » Earth-Boring Dung Beetles (Geotrupidae) » Bolboceratinae » Odonteus
Photo#201201
small, horned geotrupid - Odonteus - male - female
Copyright © 2004 Jim McClarin

small, horned geotrupid - Odonteus - Male Female
Londonderry, Rockingham County, New Hampshire, USA
May 16, 2004
Size: approx. 7 mm
I thought this was a new genus for bugguide since Bolbocera was missing from the genus lineup. Now I learn that taxonomic revisionists have dealt a blow to glee and the new genus name is not even new to bugguide. Tim Moyer beat me to it :-)

Somehow I thought I had posted these guys long ago but better late than never I suppose. They came in numbers to my UV lights that I had set up at the edge of an apple orchard. Not far away was a property with a barn, leading me to guess that these fellows were associated with the dung of livestock that might be kept there. (Apparently not so. See Phillip's remark below.) Here you see the differences between male and female.

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small, horned geotrupid - Odonteus - male - female small, horned geotrupid - Odonteus - male - female small, horned geotrupid - Odonteus - male small, horned geotrupid - Odonteus - male small, horned geotrupid - Odonteus - male small, horned geotrupid - Odonteus - male small, horned geotrupid - Odonteus - male small, horned geotrupid - Odonteus
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Contributed by Jim McClarin on 13 July, 2008 - 12:41pm
Last updated 13 July, 2008 - 7:34pm

Moved
Bolboceras is now Odonteus. Solid IDs are easiest by pulling the tail - VERY SMALL in this genus. Great series. These are not dung feeders [like all? Bolbocerines] - detritus.
… Phillip Harpootlian, 13 July, 2008 - 1:46pm login or register to post comments

 
This group
has fallen way behind the curve on the UNH checklist for New Hampshire. There it is still part of Scarabaeidae and consists of two species,
Bolboceras darlingtoni and Bolboceras liebecki. I don't have any notes on who IDed this but chances are good it was Don Chandler by comparing with these two species in the collection. I may have sent him specimens but I just don't recall. I doubt if he does either, although a pinned specimen with my name on it in the collection would be a pretty good indication.
… Jim McClarin, 13 July, 2008 - 7:48pm login or register to post comments

 
Understandable - hard to keep up with all the changes
This looks closest to darlingtoni, but.... can't be certain from a photo though. If you have a series - send me a pair in alcohol and I'll take a look.
… Phillip Harpootlian, 14 July, 2008 - 9:33am login or register to post comments

 
OK, I've checked my "vats"
and there were no Bolboceratinae although I did find one geotrupid (G. splendidus) I had forgotten I had. Best bet is to set up lights at same location next May.
… Jim McClarin, 14 July, 2008 - 11:17pm login or register to post comments

 
or-
they do come to light, but it is usually more productive to dig em up - they make distinctive little burrows - sometimes MANY, usually after a good rain. They don't go too deep, so a trowel is good enough. They often/usually have many generations - I see them year round down here.
… Phillip Harpootlian, 15 July, 2008 - 3:17pm login or register to post comments

 
Excellent tip!
I'll keep an eye out for them.
… Jim McClarin, 15 July, 2008 - 5:57pm login or register to post comments

 
I'll poke around in my specimen vats.
This may have been from before I began saving specimens. Now I save them in small glass vials labeled with date, location, and collection note (MV, UV, Sweep, Mushroom, Pine Bark, etc.)
… Jim McClarin, 14 July, 2008 - 6:49pm login or register to post comments

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