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Photo#49752
small dung beetle - Onthophagus hecate - female

small dung beetle - Onthophagus hecate - Female
Assabet River NWR, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA
April 27, 2006
Size: 6mm
Found under coyote scat.

Onthophagus hecate female
A female of the common O. hecate.

Onthophagus dung beetle.
Nice shot of some species of Onthophagus, either a female or a "minor" male, since there are no obvious horns anywhere on it.

 
yes, but ..
Not all Onthophagus spp. have 'armed' males - in the eastern US, there are two widespread, quite small black Onthophagus spp. that have similar looking males/females [no obvious sexual dimorphism]; O. pennsylvanicus and O. oklahomensis - if it weren't for the smaller size; 3.0-5.0 mm [among other characters], both males and females could well be confused with female O. hecate.

 
Onthophagus sp.
Thanks for this id, and for making the page for the pygmy backswimmer.

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