Kheper | |
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Kheper nigroaeneus in South Africa | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Coleoptera |
Suborder: | Polyphaga |
Infraorder: | Scarabaeiformia |
Family: | Scarabaeidae |
Genus: | Scarabaeus |
Subgenus: | Kheper Janssens, 1940 |
Kheper is a subgenus of Scarabaeus : the typical genus of scarab beetles in the tribe Scarabaeini. [1] [2] The genus name honors the god Khepri in the ancient Egyptian religion, who is depicted as having a scarab for a head. [3] Kheper can be found on the border between Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa in the arid sand dunes. [4] This genus of scarab beetles share a family with the oldest and most revered scarab beetles, the Scarabaeus sacer . [2]