| Kheper | |
|---|---|
| | |
| 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]