Related Research Articles
The family Scarabaeidae, as currently defined, consists of over 30,000 species of beetles worldwide; they are often called scarabs or scarab beetles. The classification of this family has undergone significant change in recent years. Several subfamilies have been elevated to family rank, and some reduced to lower ranks. The subfamilies listed in this article are in accordance with those in Bouchard (2011).
Kheper is a subgenus of Scarabaeus: the typical genus of scarab beetles in the tribe Scarabaeini. The genus name honors the god Khepri in the ancient Egyptian religion, who is depicted as having a scarab for a head. Kheper can be found on the border between Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa in the arid sand dunes. This genus of scarab beetles share a family with the oldest and most revered scarab beetles, the Scarabaeus sacer.
Dung beetles are beetles that feed on feces. Some species of dung beetles can bury dung 250 times their own mass in one night.
Geotrupidae is a family of beetles in the order Coleoptera. They are commonly called earth-boring dung beetles or dor beetles. Most excavate burrows in which to lay their eggs. They are typically detritivores, provisioning their nests with leaf litter, but are occasionally coprophagous, similar to dung beetles. The eggs are laid in or upon the provision mass and buried, and the developing larvae feed upon the provisions. The burrows of some species can exceed 2 metres in depth.
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, dwellers and tunnelers 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.
Euphoria is a genus of scarab beetles in the subfamily Cetoniinae, the flower or fruit chafers. They are native to the Americas, where they are distributed from Canada to Argentina. They are most diverse in Mexico and Central America. As of 2012, there are 59 species in the genus.
Copris is a genus of dung beetles in the tribe Coprini of the scarab family. It comprises more than 250 tunnelling species and has an almost worldwide distribution.
Anachalcos is a genus of Scarabaeidae or scarab beetles in the superfamily Scarabaeoidea. It is one of only three genera of African dung beetles that have been observed rolling balls; the other two are Epirinus and Circellium.
Catharsius is a genus of dung beetles in the tribe Coprini in the scarab family.
Epirinus is a genus of dung beetles in the tribe Deltochilini of the scarab family. It comprises 29 species from southern Africa; a few species are widespread in the region, but most have limited ranges. Length ranges from 3.0 mm to 13.5 mm.
Euoniticellus is a genus of dung beetles in the subfamily Scarabaeinae of the scarab beetle family.
Garreta is a genus of dung beetles in the scarab beetle family (Scarabaeidae). There are more than 20 described species; most are African and some are from Asia. They are generally found in fairly moist habitats.
Dicranocara is a genus of Scarabaeidae or scarab beetles in the superfamily Scarabaeoidea. Dicranocara is endemic to the Richtersveld National Park. Three species are known, D. deschodti Frolov and Scholtz, D. tatasensis Deschodt and Scholtz and D. inexpectata Deschodt and Scholtz. Only D. tatasensis occurs south of the Orange River.
Oniticellus is a genus of dung beetles in the subfamily Scarabaeinae of the scarab beetle family.
The flightless dung beetle is a species of dung beetle endemic to a few areas of South Africa, including the Addo Elephant National Park, Amakhala Game Reserve and the Buffalo Valley Game Farm. It is the only species in the genus Circellium. The loss of flight allows the beetle to use the empty space below the elytra as a carbon dioxide storage tank, creating a unique breathing mechanism which conserves water, a valuable survival trait in the arid regions it lives in.
Sceliages, Westwood,, is a sub-genus of the Scarabaeus dung beetles, and are obligate predators of spirostreptid, spirobolid and julid millipedes, having renounced the coprophagy for which they were named. The genus is near-endemic to Southern Africa, Sceliages augias exceptionally ranging as far north as the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Coprini is a tribe of scarab beetles, in the dung beetle subfamily (Scarabaeinae). Scholtz et al. describe them as tunnellers that are shiny black, of moderate to large size and with a strongly convex shape. They also, however state that the grouping based on these characteristics has little phylogenetic validity, and the placement of several genera in this and related tribes is likely to change.
Sisyphini is a tribe of scarab beetles, in the dung beetle subfamily (Scarabaeinae), but it may now be combined with the Scarabaeini. The middle and hind legs are very long; the relatively short body is laterally compressed and has flattened sides. Relative to other dung beetles they are of small to moderate size.
Sarophorus is a genus of dung beetles in the tribe Ateuchini of the family Scarabaeidae. It comprises about ten species from Africa.
Sisyphus crispatus, is a species of dung beetle found in India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
References
- ↑ Christian M. Deschodt, Adrian L.V. Davis & Clarke H. Scholtz (2011). "New dung beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) taxa from arid south-western Africa" (PDF). Insect Systematics & Evolution . 42 (3): 277–294. doi:10.1163/187631211X568173. hdl: 2263/19586 .
 | This Scarabaeidae-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |