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Dung
Beetles
of eastern NSW
Home
How to use the Keys
How to tell if your
beetle is a dung
beetle
References
Glossary
The importance of
Dung Beetles
Acknowledgements
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How to tell if your beetle is a dung beetle
To determine if your insect is a beetle, go to the Key to Insect Orders at the www.lucidcentral.org website.
Dung Beetles belong to the family Scarabaeidae, subfamily Scarabaeinae.
For your beetle to be a dung beetle, it must have all of the characteristics listed below.
Beetles belonging to the family Scarabaeidae are:
Usually stout bodied beetles of moderate to large size, with:
- labrum and mandibles not distinguishable from above (concealed by clypeus) (Fig 1);
- lamellate antennal club present and antenna with less than 11 segments;
- first visible abdominal segment split into two lateral triangular portions
- fossorial legs, at least the front tibiae with strong teeth on the outer margin.
Beetles belonging to the Subfamily Scarabaeinae are:
Ovate or barrel-shaped beetles, mainly black or brown in colour, with:
There is one dung beetle genus, Demarziella, that superficially resembles the beetles from a different subfamily, the Aphodiinae.
In this case it is particularly important to check that all the characters listed above are present.
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