Nursing Dung Beetle

Description:

very tiny beetle, the paper it's standing on has 1/4 " (6mm) squares. This beetle has a short, rotund body which is dark coloured with a metallic sheen. There is a prominent 'horn' on its small flattened head. The head appears elongated in side view but broadly triangular from above . What is curious is that it does not appear to have antennae. The legs and feet are somewhat spiky with the front tibiae being strong like a forked paddle suited for digging. The beetle also has a fringe of brown hairs protruding from below the elytra.

Habitat:

This beetle turned up in my house, located on the edge of a small rural village in a hot, arid livestock farming area. The area is typically flattish, elevation c. 3000ft a.s.l. The sandy soils support a tree - scrub savannah which experiences dry winters with average daily temperature range 4C to 18C although the temperature can drop below zero on occasions; summers are hot, touching on 40C but mostly with a daily range 12 - 35C and irregular summer rainfall mainly as thunder showers (average 450mm p.a.)

Notes:

The closest I can get with identifying this little fellow is the family Bolboceratidae but the reported body size for this family is 10 - 25mm. The general appearance fits the family description precisely except for the apparent lack of antennae; the Bolboceratids should have obvious, paddle-shaped antennae.