HomeGuideID RequestRecentFrassForumsDonateHelp

Giving Tuesday

Do you use BugGuide? Please consider a monetary gift on this Giving Tuesday.

Donate Now

Your donation to BugGuide is tax-deductible.

Clickable Guide

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Photos of insects and people from the 2024 BugGuide gathering in Idaho July 24-27

Moth submissions from National Moth Week 2024

Photos of insects and people from the 2022 BugGuide gathering in New Mexico, July 20-24

Photos of insects and people from the Spring 2021 gathering in Louisiana, April 28-May 2

Photos of insects and people from the 2019 gathering in Louisiana, July 25-27

Photos of insects and people from the 2018 gathering in Virginia, July 27-29

Previous events

TaxonomyBrowse

Info

ImagesLinksBooksData

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

Genus Onthophagus

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

School project #3 - Onthophagus striatulus - male

Scooped Scarab Dung Beetle - Onthophagus hecate - male

Onthophagus sp? - Onthophagus orpheus - male

9023907 Onthophagus - Onthophagus striatulus

Female dung beetle? - Onthophagus taurus

Onthophagus hoepfneri? - Onthophagus hoepfneri

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

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

revised in (1); updates in (2)

Explanation of Names

Onthophagus Latreille 1802

'dung-eater'

Numbers

37 spp. in our area(3), ~230 in the New World, ~2,260 total ―the largest genus of the family(4)

Size

our spp. 2.5―14.0 mm(3)

Identification

males often with variously adorned heads/pronota

key to spp. in (1)

Life Cycle

Adults dig a tunnel under the dung supply for the larvae; some species utilize carrion or fungi(5)

Works Cited

1.	Scarab beetles of the genus Onthophagus Latreille north of Mexico (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) Howden H.F., Cartwright O.L. 1963. Proc. U.S.N.M. 114: 1‒135.

2.	The establishment of the Onthophagus anthracinus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) species complex and the description of a new species Arriaga-Jiménez A., Escobar-Hernández F., Rös M., Kohlmann B. 2020. Can. Entomol. 152: 1-17.

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

4.	The taxonomic revolution of New World dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) Cupello M., Silva F.A.B., Vaz-de-Mello F.Z. 2023. Front. Ecol. Evol. 11: 1‒42.

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

Contributed by Cotinis on 6 May, 2004 - 6:53pm
Additional contributions by Phillip Harpootlian, Chuck Entz, Mike Quinn, Matt Bertone, v belov
Last updated 10 May, 2024 - 5:56pm

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2024 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by:

Printer Friendly Version