Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera, in the superorder Holometabola. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 described species, is the largest of all orders, constituting almost 40% of described insects and 25% of all known animal species; new species are discovered frequently, with estimates suggesting that there are between 0.9 and 2.1 million total species. Found in almost every habitat except the sea and the polar regions, they interact with their ecosystems in several ways: beetles often feed on plants and fungi, break down animal and plant debris, and eat other invertebrates. Some species are serious agricultural pests, such as the Colorado potato beetle, while others such as Coccinellidae eat aphids, scale insects, thrips, and other plant-sucking insects that damage crops. Some others also have unique characteristics, such as the common eastern firefly, which uses a light-emitting organ for mating and communication purposes
Silphidae is a family of beetles that are known commonly as large carrion beetles, carrion beetles or burying beetles. There are two subfamilies: Silphinae and Nicrophorinae. Members of Nicrophorinae are sometimes known as burying beetles or sexton beetles. The number of species is relatively small, at around two hundred. They are more diverse in the temperate region although a few tropical endemics are known. Both subfamilies feed on decaying organic matter such as dead animals. The subfamilies differ in which uses parental care and which types of carcasses they prefer. Silphidae are considered to be of importance to forensic entomologists because when they are found on a decaying body they are used to help estimate a post-mortem interval.
Dung beetles are beetles that feed on feces. Some species of dung beetles can bury dung 250 times their own mass in one night.
The Hercules beetle is a species of rhinoceros beetle native to the rainforests of southern Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Lesser Antilles. It is the longest extant species of beetle in the world, and is also one of the largest flying insects in the world.
Dynastes tityus, the eastern Hercules beetle, is a species of rhinoceros beetle native to the Eastern United States. The adult's elytra are green, gray or tan, with black markings, and the whole animal, including the male's horns, may reach 60 mm (2.4 in) in length. The larvae feed on decaying wood from various trees.
Phanaeus vindex, also known as a rainbow scarab, is a North American species of true dung beetle in the family Scarabaeidae. It is found in eastern and central United States and northern Mexico. It is the most widespread species of Phanaeus in the United States and it has a wide habitat tolerance. It may hybridize with the generally less common P. difformis.
Allomyrina dichotoma, also known as the Japanese rhinoceros beetle, Japanese horned beetle, or kabutomushi, is a species of rhinoceros beetle. They are commonly found in continental Asia in countries such as China, the Korean peninsula, Japan, and Taiwan. In these areas, this species of beetle is often found in broad-leaved forests with tropical or sub-tropical climates. This beetle is well known for the prominent cephalic horn found on males. Male Japanese rhinoceros beetles will use this horn to fight other males for territory and access to female mating partners. Upon contact, males will attempt to flip each other onto their backs or off of their feeding tree. In response to selective pressures, smaller male A. dichotoma have adapted a "sneak-like behavior". These smaller beetles will attempt to avoid physical confrontation with larger males and try to mate with females.
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.
Cephalodesmius is a genus of Scarabaeidae or scarab beetles.
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.
Bolitotherus cornutus is a North American species of darkling beetle known as the horned fungus beetle or forked fungus beetle. All of its life stages are associated with the fruiting bodies of a wood-decaying shelf fungus, commonly Ganoderma applanatum, Ganoderma tsugae, and Ganoderma lucidum.
Onthophagus taurus, the taurus scarab, is a species of dung beetle in the genus Onthophagus and the family Scarabaeidae. Also known as the bull-headed dung beetle, it is a species that specializes in cattle dung and is widely utilized to maintain clean pastures, making it agriculturally valuable. These beetles are typically 8–10 millimetres (0.31–0.39 in) in size. The males of this species exhibit distinct characteristics: large “major” males possess long, sweeping, curved horns resembling those of a longhorn bull, while small “minor” males have tiny horns that project upward from the back of their heads. Females, on the other hand, lack horns. These small beetles are oval shaped, the color is usually black or reddish brown. Sometimes the pronotum has a weak metallic sheen.
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.
Teuchestes fossor is a species of dung beetle native to the Palaearctic, but is also widespread in North America following accidental introduction and naturalisation during European settlement. Both adults and larvae are coprophagous, differentiating resource use by respectively feeding on the liquid and fibrous fractions of herbivore dung. It can be readily collected from the dung of livestock, and other large mammals This species is known to support a number of key ecosystem services in cattle pastures.
Oniticellini are a tribe of scarab beetles, in the true dung beetle subfamily (Scarabaeinae). Nearly all species of this tribe feed on and nest in dung, mainly that of large herbivores. Most are tunnelers; dung is buried at the ends of tunnels dug below a dropping, and used as food by both adults and larvae; others, known as dwellers make brood cavities within or just beneath the dung.
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.
Liatongus rhadamistus, or Scaptodera rhadamistus, is a species of dung beetle found in India, Sri Lanka, Laos and Thailand.
Coprophanaeus lancifer is a large species of beetle belonging to the family Scarabaeidae.
