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beetle is a dung
beetle
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The importance of
Dung Beetles
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Cephalodesmius armiger
Distribution
In the coastal mountains of New South Wales and south-east Queensland from south of Wollongong to the Bunya Mountains. In tall open forest.
Description
Total length 8-15mm. Colour uniformly black, surfaces matt.
Head: 4 clypeal teeth, the middle two very long, moderately upturned and distinctly divergent in a V-shape. Lateral pair of teeth shorter and separated from middle pair by a U-shaped space. Dorsal parts of eyes moderate, slightly longer than wide. Surfaces densely covered in medium-sized shallow punctures, becoming more sparse toward anterior part of clypeus.
Prothorax: Only slightly wider than hind body. Anterior lateral edges strongly expanded, finely serrate. Pronotum strongly convex, surface densely covered in medium-sized umbilical punctures bearing very short setae.
Elytra: Striae fine, superficial, very feebly punctate. Intervals finely shagreened, matt, with irregular rows of numerous minute shiny granules medially. Short setae spaced regularly along edges of each interval. Anterior of 8th stria on pseudepipleuron effaced.
Hind wings: Reduced to vestiges about half as long as abdomen.
Legs: Fore tibiae with extra tooth on distal edge.
Abdomen: Pygidium matt, with numerous slightly raised oval punctures bearing very short setae.
Sexual dimorphism
Female: Middle clypeal teeth less parallel and a little expanded basally.
References
Matthews, E.G. (1974) A revision of the Scarabaeine dung beetles of Australia. II. Tribe Scarabaeini. Aust. J. Zool. Suppl. Ser. 24: 1-211.
Copyright © Australian Museum 2016
Authors: Rebecca Harris & Dr. Chris Reid