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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Polyphaga » Scarabaeoidea » Earth-Boring Scarab Beetles (Geotrupidae) » Geotrupinae » Geotrupes

Genus Geotrupes

Classification · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Identification · Range · Works Cited
Which Geotrupes? - Geotrupes splendidus Iridescent beetle - Geotrupes splendidus Geotrupes? - Geotrupes blackburnii 21Jun2017.NP.P.coleo1 - Geotrupes Geotrupes splendidus? - Geotrupes splendidus Scarab Beetle - Geotrupes Geotrupes egeriei Geotrupes opacus Ontario - Geotrupes opacus - male
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Coleoptera (Beetles)
Suborder Polyphaga
Superfamily Scarabaeoidea
Family Geotrupidae (Earth-Boring Scarab Beetles)
Subfamily Geotrupinae
Genus Geotrupes
Explanation of Names
Geotrupes Latreille 1796
Greek for 'earth-borer'
Numbers
9 spp. (incl. one adventive) in our area, ~90 total(1)
our spp.:
Geotrupes balyi Jekel 1865
Geotrupes blackburnii blackburnii (Fabricius 1781) - eastern [of Appalachians] subspecies
Geotrupes blackburnii excrementi Say 1823 - western subspecies
Geotrupes egeriei Germar 1824
Geotrupes hornii Blanchard 1888
Geotrupes opacus Haldeman 1853 - dull granulate black, elytral striae obsolescent
Geotrupes semiopacus Jekel 1865 - elytra with striae impunctate
Geotrupes splendidus (Fabricius 1775)
Geotrupes stercorarius (Linnaeus 1758) - NF-QC (introduced from Europe)
Geotrupes ulkei Blanchard 1888 - montane, VA-AL (flightless)
Identification
Quick ID guide for spp. of our fauna

1. Elytra with striae obsolete, just rows of punctures
Dull granulate black, OH-LA to SD-CO-TX

Shiny, Appalachian Mts, n. AL to WV

2. Elytra with striae impunctate

3. Very convex shape, elytra with striae differently colored

4. Sutural striae end at scutellum. see detail below

Generally black or blue, pronotum with scarce, minute punctures

Variously colored, bright green to black, pronotum usually with at least some obvious punctures laterally

5. Elytra with sutural striae complete to base
Widespread, at least some hint of blue or green

Widespread, solid black, no trace of color

Black above, purple below, elytra with moderate striae and punctures; e. Canada, ?ME


keys to spp.: NA(2); MD (7 spp.)(3), NE (4 spp.)(1)
Range
Holarctic; in NA, east of the Rockies (Canada to Mexico)(1)
Works Cited
1.The Scarabaeoid Beetles of Nebraska
Brett C. Ratcliffe & M.J. Paulsen. 2008. University of Nebraska State Museum, Vol 22, 570 pp.
2.Biology and taxonomy of North American beetles of the subfamily Geotrupinae, with revisions of the genera....
H.F. Howden. 1955. Proceedings of the United States National Museum, 104(3342): 151-319, plates 1-18.
3.An illustrated key to the genus Geotrupes Latreille (Coleoptera: Geotrupidae) of Maryland including notes on G. ulkei...
Guarnieri F.G., Harpootlian P.J. 2013. The Maryland Entomologist 6(1): 6–13.
Contributed by Phillip Harpootlian on 9 March, 2005 - 9:42am
Additional contributions by cotinis, Mike Quinn, v belov
Last updated 7 September, 2014 - 6:32pm

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