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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Water, Rove, Scarab, Long-horned, Leaf and Snout Beetles (Polyphaga) » Scarab, Stag and Bess Beetles (Scarabaeoidea) » Scarab Beetles (Scarabaeidae)

Family Scarabaeidae - Scarab Beetles

Classification · Other Common Names · Pronunciation · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Size · Identification · Range · Food · Life Cycle · See Also · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited

Dark Flower Scarab - Euphoria sepulcralis

Melanocanthon Dung Beetle ? - Melanocanthon

Is this a Monkey beetle? - Macrodactylus

Chnaunanthus flavipennis? - Chnaunanthus

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Coleoptera (Beetles)

Suborder Polyphaga (Water, Rove, Scarab, Long-horned, Leaf and Snout Beetles)

Superfamily Scarabaeoidea (Scarab, Stag and Bess Beetles)

Family Scarabaeidae (Scarab Beetles)

Other Common Names

Lamellicorn Beetles

Pronunciation

scare-ah-BEE-i-dee

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

Several groups formerly treated within Scarabaeidae have been upgraded to family rank [taxonomy discussed in(1)]

Explanation of Names

Scarabaeidae Latreille 1802

The English scarab is derived via French from Latin scarabeus, meaning ‘beetle’(2) –- compare Greek καραβοσ, καραβιοσ ‘a horned beetle,... also a type of crab’; cf. Sanskrit karabha ‘locust’. The words scarab and carabid may be related; a connection of the Latin and Greek words with Egyptian kheprer ‘dung beetle’ (a scarab in the narrow sense; compare Khepri) had been suggested (Partridge 1958)

Numbers

~28,000 spp. worldwide(1), ~1700 spp. in ~125 genera in the Nearctic region(3)(4), of which ~1400 north of Mexico(5), ~240 in Canada & Alaska(6)

Overview of our faunaFamily SCARABAEIDAE

Subfamily APHODIINAE

Tribe Aegialiini Aegialia · Caelius · Micraegialia · Rhysothorax

Tribe Aphodiini Acrossus · Agoliinus · Alloblackburneus · Aphodius · Ballucus · Blackburneus · Calamosternus · Caligodorus · Cephalocyclus · Chilothorax · Cinacanthus · Coelotrachelus · Colobopterus · Cryptoscatomaseter · Dellacasiellus · Dialytellus · Dialytes · Dialytodius · Diapterna · Drepanocanthoides · Eupleurus · Flaviellus · Geomyphilus · Haroldiellus · Hornietus · Hornosus · Irrasinus · Labarrus · Lechorodius · Liothorax · Luxolinus · Maculaphodius · Melinopterus · Mendidius · Merogyrus · Neotrichonotulus · Nialaphodius · Orodaliscoides · Oscarinus · Otophorus · Oxyomoides · Oxyomus · Pardalosus · Phaeaphodius · Planolinellus · Planolinoides · Planolinus · Pseudagolius · Rugaphodius · Scabrostomus · Schaefferellus · Setodius · Stenotothorax · Strigodius · Tetraclipeoides · Teuchestes · Trichonotuloides · Trichonotulus · Xeropsamobeus

Tribe Didactyliini Aidophus

Tribe Eupariini Aphotaenius · Ataeniopsis · Ataenius · Euparia · Euparixia · Haroldiataenius · Martineziana · Odontolytes · Parataenius · Pseudataenius

Tribe Proctophaniini Australaphodius

Tribe Psammodiini Geopsammodius · Leiopsammodius · Neopsammodius · Odontopsammodius · Parapsammodius · Platytomus · Pleurophorus · Psammodius · Rhyssemus · Tesarius · Trichiorhyssemus

Genera Incertae Sedis Annegialia

Subfamily Scarabaeinae

Tribe Deltochilini Canthon · Deltochilum · Malagoniella · Melanocanthon · Pseudocanthon

Tribe Coprini Copris · Dichotomius

Tribe Ateuchini Ateuchus · Canthidium

Tribe Oniticellini Euoniticellus · Liatongus

Tribe Onitini Onitis

Tribe Onthophagini Onthophagus · Digitonthophagus

Tribe Phanaeini Coprophanaeus · Phanaeus

Subfamily MELOLONTHINAE

Tribe Hopliini Hoplia

Tribe Sericini Maladera · Nipponoserica · Serica

Tribe Melolonthini Amblonoxia · Dinacoma · Hypothyce · Hypotrichia · Phyllophaga · Plectrodes · Polyphylla · Thyce

Tribe Rhizotrogini Amphimallon · Fossocarus · Gronocarus · Listrochelus · Phyllophaga

Tribe Diplotaxini Diplotaxis

Tribe Macrodactylini Isonychus · Macrodactylus · Plectris

Tribe Dichelonychini Coenonycha · Dichelonyx · Gymnopyge

Tribe Warwickiini Warwickia

Tribe Phobetusini Phobetus

Tribe Acomini Acoma

Tribe Chnaunanthini Chnaunanthus

Subfamily ONCERINAE Oncerus

Subfamily PODOLASIINAE Podolasia · Podostena

Subfamily RUTELINAE

Tribe Anomalini Anomala · Anomalacra · Leptohoplia · Popillia · Strigoderma

Tribe Rutelini Chrysina · Cotalpa · Parabyrsopolis · Paracotalpa · Parastasia · Pelidnota · Pseudocotalpa · Rutela

Subfamily DYNASTINAE

Tribe Cyclocephalini Ancognatha · Cyclocephala · Dyscinetus

Tribe Pentodontini Anoplognatho · Aphonus · Coscinocephalus · Euetheola · Orizabus · Oxygrylius · Tomarus

Tribe Oryctini Strategus · Xyloryctes

Tribe Phileurini Archophileurus · Hemiphileurus · Phileurus

[thumb: 859209]

Tribe Dynastini Dynastes · Megasoma

Subfamily CETONIINAE

Tribe Gymnetini Cotinis · Gymnetis · Gymnetina · Hologymnetis

Tribe Cetoniini Chlorixanthe · Euphoria · Protaetia

Tribe Cremastocheilini Cremastocheilus · Genuchinus · Lissomelas · Psilocnemis

Tribe Osmodermini Osmoderma

Tribe Trichiini Gnorimella · Trichiotinus · Trigonopeltastes

Tribe Valgini Valgus

Size

in our area, 2-62 mm; worldwide, up to 160 mm. Dynastes is the heaviest beetle of our fauna

Identification

protibia widened, with outer edges toothed

antennae 10- or 9-segmented

last 3-7 antennomeres lamellate, forming a club that can be spread or folded

tarsal formula usually 5-5-5; protarsi may be absent (0-5-5)

Elytra not shortened or widely divergent at apex

Eighth morphological abdominal segment lacking spiracle

Guide to larvae in (7)

Range

worldwide and across NA

Food

Adults take a variety of foods, many feeding on fungus, dung, carrion, or other decomposing matter, some on sap, pollen/nectar, fruit, foliage; a few are agricultural pests, others, important pollinators. Larvae typically feed on decomposing matter: dung, carrion, etc., or live in soil and feed on roots -- some of these are agricultural pests.

Life Cycle

Scarabaeiform larva & pupa

See Also

Tenebrionids may look like dung beetles:

Print References

Menees, J. H. 1957. Sex identification in some larvae of Scarabaeidae. Bulletin of the Brooklyn Entomological Society 52(7): 97-100. (Biodiversity Heritage Library)

(8)(9)(10)(11)

Internet References

(12)

Works Cited

1.	Generic Guide to New World Scarab Beetles (by Brett Ratcliffe and Mary Liz Jameson)

2.	The Century Dictionary: an encyclopedic lexicon of the English language

3.	American Beetles, Volume II: Polyphaga: Scarabaeoidea through Curculionoidea Arnett, R.H., Jr., M. C. Thomas, P. E. Skelley and J. H. Frank. (eds.). 2002. CRC Press LLC, Boca Raton, FL.

4.	Checklist and Nomenclatural Authority File of the Scarabaeoidea of the Nearctic Realm

5.	The Beetles of Northeastern North America, Vol. 1 and 2. Downie, N.M., and R.H. Arnett. 1996. The Sandhill Crane Press, Gainesville, FL.

6.	Checklist of beetles (Coleoptera) of Canada and Alaska. Second edition Bousquet Y., Bouchard P., Davies A.E., Sikes D.S. 2013. ZooKeys 360: 1–402.

7.	White Grubs and Their Allies, a Study of North American Scarabaeoid Larvae Paul O. Ritcher. 1966. Oregon State University Press, Corvallis. 219 pp.

8.	The Scarab Beetles of Florida Robert Woodruff. 1973. Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

9.	The Scarabaeoid Beetles of Nebraska Brett C. Ratcliffe & M.J. Paulsen. 2008. University of Nebraska State Museum, Vol 22, 570 pp.

10.	Scarab beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) of South Carolina Phillip J. Harpootlian. 2001. Clemson University Public Service.

11.	An annotated checklist of the Scarabaeoidea of Texas. Edward G. Riley & Charles S. Wolfe. 2003. Southwestern Entomologist, Supplement. 37 pp.

12.	Beckemeyer R.J. (2003) Dung beetles & their relatives in Kansas: an annotated checklist based on a review of literature

Contributed by Troy Bartlett on 16 February, 2004 - 12:32pm
Additional contributions by cotinis, Stephen_WV, Beatriz Moisset, Phillip Harpootlian, v belov, Harsi S. Parker, bmathison1972, Kyhl Austin, Arturo Santos
Last updated 9 December, 2021 - 3:48pm

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