Aphodiinae

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Aphodiinae
Aphodius (Adeloparius) septemmaculatus Fabricius (4526247080).jpg
Aphodius septemmaculatus
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Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Scarabaeidae
Subfamily: Aphodiinae
Leach, 1815

Aphodiinae is a subfamily of the scarab beetle family, Scarabaeidae. Members of this subfamily are known commonly as the small dung beetles and many, but not all, are dung beetles. [1] These beetles are found worldwide. [1]

Contents

These beetles are small scarab beetles, most less than 8 millimeters long. Many have small mandibles that are covered by a widened clypeus, the exoskeleton plate above the mouth. The feet are clawed. [1]

This is a diverse subfamily with varied life strategies and habitat types. Many species are dung beetles, which collect and feed on animal dung. Other species are detritivores or saprophages, which feed on dead matter, and some are predatory. Some are known as inquilines, living in ant or termite nests, and some are sand-dwelling beetles. [1] A survey of South American aphodiines found them in diverse habitat types including temperate rainforests, high-elevation Andean grassland, Patagonian steppe, coastal sand dunes, and subantarctic beech forest. [2]

Research on elephant dung finds the vast majority of dung beetles exploiting during the night are aphodiine dwellers (98%). In contrast during the day, they were a minority (9.2%) with the majority (85%) being tunnelers (paracoprids). [3]

The role of aphodiines in removing dung has been suggested to have been underestimated since they are better flyers than other types of dung beetles and, therefore, not so readily caught by traps as tunnelers or rollers. [3]

The Catalog of Life and World and World Scarabaeidae Database (2023) include 12 tribes with more than 380 genera and 3,500 described species in Aphodiinae. [4]

Tribes

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dung beetle</span> Informal group of insects

Dung beetles are beetles that feed on feces. Some species of dung beetles can bury dung 250 times their own mass in one night.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scarabaeinae</span> Subfamily of beetles

The scarab beetle subfamily Scarabaeinae consists of species collectively called true dung beetles. Most of the beetles of this subfamily feed exclusively on dung. However, some may feed on decomposing matter including carrion, decaying fruits and fungi. Dung beetles can be placed into three structural guilds based on their method of dung processing namely rollers (telecoprids), dwellers (endocoprids) and tunnelers (paracoprids). Dung removal and burial by dung beetles result in ecological benefits such as soil aeration and fertilization; improved nutrient cycling and uptake by plants, increase in Pasture quality, biological control of pest flies and intestinal parasites and secondary seed dispersal. Well-known members include the genera Scarabaeus and Sisyphus, and Phanaeus vindex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melolonthinae</span> Subfamily of beetles

Melolonthinae is a subfamily of the scarab beetles. It is a very diverse group; distributed over most of the world, it contains over 11,000 species in over 750 genera. Some authors include the scarab subfamilies Euchirinae and Pachypodinae as tribes in the Melolonthinae.

<i>Aphodius</i> Genus of beetles

Aphodius is a genus of beetles in the family Scarabaeidae. In most species both the adults and larvae are coprophagous although some species have herbivorous or saprophagous larvae. Aphodius species typically dominate dung beetle communities in north temperate ecosystems. Most species are functionally classified as endocoprids, also known as dwellers, because the larvae live and feed within the dung pat itself.

<i>Cartwrightia</i> Genus of beetles

Cartwrightia is a genus of scarab found in Latin America. It was named and circumscribed in 1958 by Federico Islas Salas. As of 2017, three species are recognized: C. intertribalis, C. cartwrighti, and C. islasi. They can be found in the nests of leafcutter ants or in dung.

Xeropsamobeus asellus is a species of aphodiine dung beetle in the family Scarabaeidae. It is found in the United States and Mexico, although other sources consider it endemic to Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phanaeini</span> Tribe of beetles

Phanaeini is a tribe of dung beetles in the family Scarabaeidae. There are about 12 genera and 200 described species in Phanaeini. They are native to the Americas with the highest species richness in the Neotropics. They are mostly coprophagous or necrophagous, but some of the least known genera appear to be myrmecophilous. They are medium-sized to large beetles, often with bright metallic colors, and often with horns on their heads.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eupariini</span> Tribe of beetles

Eupariini is a tribe of aphodiine dung beetles in the family Scarabaeidae. There are more than 40 genera and 640 described species in Eupariini.

<i>Leiopsammodius</i> Genus of beetles

Leiopsammodius is a genus of aphodiine dung beetles in the family Scarabaeidae. There are more than 40 described species in Leiopsammodius.

Haroldiataenius is a genus of aphodiine dung beetles in the family Scarabaeidae. There are about nine described species in Haroldiataenius.

Odontolytes is a genus of aphodiine dung beetles in the family Scarabaeidae. There are about 19 described species in Odontolytes.

Aidophus is a genus of aphodiinae dung beetles in the family Scarabaeidae. There are about 12 described species in Aidophus.

Euparia is a genus of aphodiine dung beetles in the family Scarabaeidae. There are about six described species in Euparia.

Parataenius is a genus of aphodiine dung beetles in the family Scarabaeidae. There are about six described species in Parataenius.

<i>Dialytes</i> Genus of beetles

Dialytes is a genus of aphodiine dung beetles in the family Scarabaeidae. There are about five described species in Dialytes.

Odontopsammodius is a genus of aphodiine dung beetles in the family Scarabaeidae. There are about 12 described species in Odontopsammodius.

Hornietus is a genus of aphodiine dung beetles in the family Scarabaeidae, the sole genus of the tribe Hornietiini. There is one described species in the genus, Hornietus ventralis, found in North America.

Martineziana is a genus of aphodiine dung beetles in the family Scarabaeidae. There are about six described species in Martineziana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhyparini</span> Tribe of beetles

Rhyparini is a tribe of scarab beetles in the family Scarabaeidae. There are about 14 genera and more than 120 described species in Rhyparini.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Skelley, P. E. Aphodiinae. Archived 2018-02-14 at the Wayback Machine Generic Guide to New World Scarab Beetles. University of Nebraska State Museum. 2008 Version.
  2. ↑ Smith, A. B. T. and P. E. Skelley. (2007). A review of the Aphodiinae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) of southern South America. Zootaxa 1458.
  3. 1 2 Krell, Frank-Thorsten; Krell-Westerwalbesloh, Sylvia (2024). "One elephant may sustain 2 million dung beetles in East African savannas on any given day". The Science of Nature. 111 (1). doi:10.1007/s00114-024-01894-9. ISSN   0028-1042.
  4. ↑ "Aphodiinae Leach, 1815". Catalogue of Life. Retrieved 2023-09-24.


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