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beetle is a dung
beetle
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The importance of
Dung Beetles
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Lepanus ustulatus
Distribution
From northern New South Wales at Lansdowne near Taree to the McPherson Range on the border of New South Wales and Queensland, and the Eungella region west of Mackay.
Description
Total length 5.0-6.5mm. Black, with humeri and apices of elytra usually reddish.
Head: Clypeal teeth small. Surface smooth, shiny and glabrous, with numerous minute punctures. Dorsal part of eyes wide.
Prothorax: Pronotal surface very shiny and glabrous, with numerous very small punctures.
Elytra: Striae indistinct and impunctate. Intervals very smooth, shiny, glabrous, with minute punctation.
Sterna: Mesosternum and median lobe of metasternum impunctate, lateral lobes with numerous small punctures and very fine setae. No tubercle on metasternum.
Legs: Fore tibiae with short, broad, tapering apical digit. Fore spur absent. Outer margin of fore tibiae with 3 teeth, inner edge only feebly sinuate distally. Middle and hind legs unmodified.
Abdomen: Pygidium with a large round median depression. Surface of depression shagreened and flattened, rest of pygidium shiny, impunctate and glabrous.
Sexual dimorphism
Female: Fore tibiae without apical digit, with a long spur.
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.
Williams, G. A. & Williams, T. (1983c) A survey of the Aphodiinae, Hybosorinae and Scarabaeinae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) from small wet forests of coastal New South Wales. Part 4: Lansdowne State Forest. Vict. Nat. 100: 146-154.
Copyright © Australian Museum 2016
Authors: Rebecca Harris & Dr. Chris Reid