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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Polyphaga » Scarabaeoidea » Scarab Beetles (Scarabaeidae) » Dung Beetles (Scarabaeinae) » Onthophagini » Onthophagus » Bull Headed Dung Beetle (Onthophagus taurus)

Species Onthophagus taurus - Bull Headed Dung Beetle

Representative Images

Onthophagus taurus Onthophagus - Onthophagus taurus Canthon of some kind ? - Onthophagus taurus Onthophagus ? - Onthophagus taurus Beetle ID Request - Onthophagus taurus - male Onthophagus taurus - male Onthophagus taurus (Schreber, 1759) - male - Onthophagus taurus - male March-0BG.J.2012.06 - Onthophagus taurus

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Coleoptera (Beetles)
Suborder Polyphaga
Superfamily Scarabaeoidea
Family Scarabaeidae (Scarab Beetles)
Subfamily Scarabaeinae (Dung Beetles)
Tribe Onthophagini
Genus Onthophagus
Species taurus (Bull Headed Dung Beetle)

Explanation of Names

Onthophagus taurus (Schreber 1759)

Numbers

6.0‒11.5 mm(1)

Identification

Major males have long horns and are easy to identify

Range

native to w. Palaearctic, introduced in NA and widespread in the US (OR‒CA; NH‒FL to MO‒TX); intentionally released in CA NJ TX(1)(2)(3)

Food

Dung generalist

Life Cycle

Some females practice brood parasitism

Remarks

earliest record in our area: FL 1971(1)

Works Cited

1.Adventive Onthophagus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in North America: geographic ranges, diagnoses, and new distributional records
Hoebeke E.R., Beucke K. 1997. Entomological News 108: 345–362.
2.Additional records of adventive Onthophagus Latreille (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in North America
MacRae T.C., Penn S.R. 2001. The Coleopterists Bulletin 55: 49–50.
3.UNH Insect and Arachnid Collections
Contributed by Lynette Elliott on 12 July, 2005 - 7:18am
Additional contributions by Beatriz Moisset, Phillip Harpootlian, Mike Quinn, v belov, roar
Last updated 24 October, 2024 - 2:13pm

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