| Coprophanaeus lancifer | |
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| Species: | C. lancifer |
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| Coprophanaeus lancifer (Linnaeus, 1767) | |
Coprophanaeus lancifer is a large species of beetle belonging to the family Scarabaeidae (scarab beetles). [1]
Adults typically are 28–56 mm (1.1–2.2 in) long, with an average length of 44 mm (1.7 in). [1] [2] [3] They can weigh up to 10 g, which is heavier than a hummingbird. This makes C. lancifer and the closely related C. ensifer some of the largest dung beetles in the world (together with certain Catharsius and Heliocopris ) and the largest in the Americas. [1] [4] [5] This beetle has a horn on the head that is always greater greater in size in males than females. However, this difference in size is insignificant in small individuals. [1] Because the sexually dimorphic horn is only obviously present in large males and only obviously absent in large females, C. lancifer is characterized by its reduced sexual dimorphism compared with other species of the genus.
It is found widely in the Amazon rainforest in South America and can be found throughout Venezuela, French Guina, Guyana, Suriname, Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru. [1] [6] They are floor dwelling beetles that are mostly found in terra firma habitats and less commonly found in floodplain forests.
Coprophanaeus lancifer beetles have been found in forests in northeastern Brazil according to a recent historical biogeographical study. [7] This is the first record of the Coprophanaeus genus being found in large quantities in the South American continent. Such a finding is especially prevalent considering Coprophanaeus beetles have been under severe threat due to habitat fragmentation and agricultural urbanization/expansion in the greater Atlantic forest region.
Although part of the true dung beetle subfamily Scarabaeinae, C. lancifer primarily is a necrophage that feeds on vertebrate carcasses, although it also may feed on feces or occasionally even ripe fallen fruits. [1] [8] There are also reports that this beetle feeds on decomposing millipedes. They are capable of flying up to 5 km per day to find and bury their food. These distances mean that C. lancifer are able to disperse seeds that are often found in dung.
They are paracoprids, meaning that adults dig tunnels into the soil under the carcass and move parts of this food source to a nest chamber where the eggs are laid. Once carcasses become bloated, the beetles are able to roll the carcass onto its back. [9] Later in the decomposition process, they are able to dismember small hoof bones and move them as far as 30 cm from the carcass. [9] These beetles are able to create deep lesions and other artifacts on a carcass that may cause confusion on the reason for the animal's death. [9] Because of their feeding on carrion, they are of interest to forensic entomology. [9] These crepuscular beetles are excellent diggers and good fliers. [9] They appear to fly only at dusk. [10]
Like other horned beetles, once C. lancifer finds a carcass, they build a burrow nearby and look for a sexual partner. These beetles are also capable of stagnating their active time above ground to avoid other beetles.
Using a physiological model of crepuscular horned beetle vision, researchers have found variation in visual signal coloration as a relatively accurate predictor of sensory drive hypotheses. [11] When brightness was contrasted with mean coloration, brightness was most optimal in dusk ambient lighting as opposed to darker settings. From this, a conspicuousness could be calculated under different light environments. This allowed for an increasingly quantitative understanding of the adaptations in body coloration that dictate sensory-driven color signaling. [11] The diversity in beetle coloration has become a revitalized focus of naturalists as they continue to study aspects of beetle physiology including vision, olfaction, aposematism, mimicry, and body temperature regulation.
An interesting feature of C. lancifer is that it is able to adjust its color based on environmental cues. C. lancifer is typically a blue-green color, particularly reflecting light at 495 nm and 505 nm. [10] The pronotum, otherwise known as the dorsal part of the prothorax, is the brightest part of the body. The horn of the beetle is black. [10] Unlike other beetles, it is predicted that structural coloration is found in C. lancifer. This is due to the rarity of the blue pigment and the relatively narrowbanded reflectance of its body surface.
C. lancifer beetles have adjusted visual systems that allow them to see optimally at short distances (half a meter) [12] during dusk. At this time, the horn and pronotum of the beetle are more visible compared to other light environments and as a result, beetles use the color contrast of the horn in front of the pronotum to see other beetles. [13] In addition, the contrast between the beetle and its environment is significantly higher during dusk than during the daytime. This dual adjustment allows beetles to identify each other the best during dusk time, which correlates with the hours that the beetle is most active. [10]
At long distances, C. lancifer is more likely to use brightness contrast between a beetle and its environment to detect it. There are no differences in color contrast between sex during the daytime. Rapid detection by visual cues that are optimized to respond to dusk light is most likely critical for pair formation between two beetles. [10]
In zoology, a crepuscular animal is one that is active primarily during the twilight period, being matutinal, vespertine/vespertinal, or both. This is distinguished from diurnal and nocturnal behavior, where an animal is active during the hours of daylight and of darkness, respectively. Some crepuscular animals may also be active by moonlight or during an overcast day. Matutinal animals are active only before sunrise, and vespertine only after sunset.
Coprophanaeus is a genus in the family Scarabaeidae. The genus is almost entirely Neotropical, with a single species, C. pluto, ranging into southernmost Texas in the United States. They are medium-sized to large beetles, with the South American C. ensifer and C. lancifer sometimes exceeding 5 cm (2 in) in length, making these two some of the largest dung beetles in the world and the largest in the Americas. They often have a horn on the head, and are typically a bright metallic color, most often blue or green, or black. These diurnal or crepuscular beetles are excellent diggers and good fliers.
Heliocopris is a genus of Scarabaeidae or scarab beetles in the superfamily Scarabaeoidea. Forty-seven of the fifty-two known species are found in Africa, but a few are found in southern and southeast Asia.
Coprophanaeus ensifer is a large South American species of beetle belonging to the family Scarabaeidae. This species is necrophagous and builds burrows near or on animal carcasses to dismember the flesh of decaying bodies and bring it to its burrow to feed. Both females and males help build the burrow and feed. It is characterized by its iridescent colors and a horn that is similar in shape and size in females and males. It uses its horn to tear apart carcasses and to fight with other individuals, with male-male fighting occurring more often. However, females also fight to determine a variety of characteristics of the opposing male. This species may be of importance in forensic science due to its destructive behavior on decaying bodies, especially in areas of Brazil where homicide rates are high.
Phanaeus, the rainbow scarabs, is a genus of true dung beetles in the family Scarabaeidae, ranging from the United States to northern Argentina, with the highest species richness in Mexico. Depending on species, they can inhabit a wide range of habitats, from tropical to temperate climates and deserts to rainforests. In those living in relatively arid places adults are primarily active during the wet season and those living in relatively cold places are primarily active during the summer. They are excellent diggers and good fliers.
Sulcophanaeus imperator is a brightly colored species of dung beetle belonging to the family Scarabaeidae. This diurnal, coprophagous beetle is native to south-central South America and generally common. It is paracoprid, meaning that adults dig tunnels into the soil under the food source and move parts of the food source to a nest chamber where the eggs are laid.
Sulcophanaeus is a genus of dung beetles belonging to the family Scarabaeidae. Most species in this genus are from tropical and subtropical South America, but a few are found in Central America and Mexico, and S. carnifex is from Jamaica. Sulcophanaeus are mostly coprophagous, but some are also necrophagous. They are paracoprids, meaning that adults dig tunnels into the soil under the food source and move parts of the food source to a nest chamber where the eggs are laid, and their activity pattern varies depending on species.
Necrophages are organisms that obtain nutrients by consuming decomposing dead animal biomass, such as the muscle and soft tissue of carcasses and corpses. The term derives from Greek nekros, meaning 'dead', and phagein, meaning 'to eat.' Mainly, necrophages are species within the phylum Arthropoda; however, other animals, such as gastropods and Accipitrimorphae birds have been noted to engage in necrophagy.
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.
Coprophanaeus pluto is a species of dung beetle in the family Scarabaeidae. It is found in Guatemala, Mexico and southernmost Texas ; it is the only species of Coprophanaeus in the United States. This black beetle feeds on carrion and typically is 1.8–2.8 cm (0.7–1.1 in) long.
Oxysternon conspicillatum is a species of dung beetle in the family Scarabaeidae. It is found in both evergreen and semi-deciduous mesic forests, including disturbed habitats, ranging from near sea level to an altitude of 3,000 m (9,800 ft) in the Amazon basin and Chocó of tropical South America and Panama, possibly extending as far west as the border region with Costa Rica. Both adults and young of this common and widespread beetle primarily feed on dung, but the species has also been recorded feeding on dead animals.
Digitonthophagus bonasus, is a species of dung beetle found in India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, Afghanistan, Vietnam and Cambodia.
Liatongus rhadamistus, or Scaptodera rhadamistus, is a species of dung beetle found in India, Sri Lanka, Laos and Thailand.
Onthophagus centricornis is a species of dung beetle found in India, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. It is a small arboreal dung beetle inhabited in both dry and wet forests.
Onthophagus cervus, is a species of dung beetle found in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, India, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Thailand.
Onthophagus falsus, is a species of dung beetle found in India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
Onthophagus favrei, is a species of dung beetle found in India, and Sri Lanka.
Onthophagus hastifer, is a species of dung beetle found in India, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Taiwan, Thailand, and Myanmar.
Onthophagus turbatus, is a species of dung beetle found in India, and Sri Lanka.
Sisyphus crispatus, is a species of dung beetle found in India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.