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Genus Phanaeus - Rainbow Scarabs
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)
Subfamily Scarabaeinae (Dung Beetles)
Tribe Phanaeini
Genus Phanaeus (Rainbow Scarabs)
Explanation of Names Greek for 'light bearer' (1)
Numbers 7 spp. in our area, 50 total (nearly half of which in Mexico) (2)
P. adonis Harold 1863 - coastal Cameron Co., TX; NE Mexico
P. amithaon Harold 1875 - s. central AZ (low to mid elevations); Mexico
P. difformis LeConte 1847 - s. midwestern US, but most common along coastal TX
P. igneus MacLeay 1819 - coastal se US: LA-FL-VA (3), but most BG records FL n. to VA (BG data)
P. quadridens (Say 1835) - NM, se. AZ (mid-elevations); Mexico
P. vindex MacLeay 1819 - e. US west to WY & AZ; Mexico
Identification Large, robust, colorful scarabs. Males often have a prominent horns.
See: Edmonds (1994) - discussion of P. vindex, P. igneus, and P. difformis starts on page 83. (3)
Key to three SC species ( triangularis, vindex, igneus) in Harpootlian (2001) (4)
Range e US to AZ (BG data)
Food adults feed on mammalian dung (2)
Life Cycle Adults of P. vindex excavate a cavity and form a dung ball underneath a dung mass, as opposed to rolling it away, as do other scarabs. (See Univ. of Nebraska page.) Eggs are laid on this dung ball.
Print References Edmonds, W.D. 1994. Revision of Phanaeus Macleay, a New World genus of Scarabaeine dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae, Scarabaeinae). Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Contributions in Science 443: 1-105, 360 figs. (3)
Works Cited 2. | 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. |  |
3. | Revision of Phanaeus MacLeay, A New World genus of scarabaeine dung beetles Edmonds, W.D. 1994. 1994. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Contributions to Science 443. | |
4. | Scarab beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) of South Carolina Phillip J. Harpootlian. 2001. Clemson University Public Service. | |
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