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

Genus Odonteus

Classification · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Size · Identification · Range · Season · Life Cycle · Works Cited

Unknown Dung Beetle - Odonteus obesus - male

Earth Boring Dung Beetle - Odonteus obesus

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 Bolboceratinae

Genus Odonteus

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

Odontæus Dejean 1821 (now typically treated as subsequent misspelling) • Bolboceras of authors

Explanation of Names

Odonteus Samouelle 1819

Numbers

10 spp. in our area(1), 13 total

Size

5‒10 mm

Identification

Eyes completely divided by canthus. Sexual dimorphism usually obvious, males often with prominent horn. Species identification often requires examination of genitalia.

Key to spp. in (2)

Range

holarctic & S.Asia; in our area, most spp. east of NE‒TX, one strictly western(1)(3)

not yet in the guide:

O. cornigerus (Melsheimer) • ne.US to NC

O. simi Wallis • e.US

Season

Late spring and late summer to fall. In SC: B. liebecki May and Jul‒Oct, B. thoracicornis Apr‒May, Sep‒Nov(4)

Life Cycle

Adults dig burrows and provision with organic matter (e.g., dung, humus). The same burrow may contain eggs, larvae, pupae, and adults at the same time

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.	Revision of the genus Odontaeus, Dej. Wallis J.B. 1928. Can. Entomol. 60: 119‒128; 151‒156; 168‒176.

3.	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.

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

Contributed by Cotinis on 1 June, 2005 - 8:18pm
Additional contributions by Robin McLeod, Phillip Harpootlian, nebbeetle, Aaron Schusteff, v belov
Last updated 22 August, 2024 - 11:03pm

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