A worldwide community photographing and learning about wildlife
Project Noah Nature School
Scarabaeus laticollis
A shitty life cleaning the environment. Dung beetles are coleoptera that feed on excrements, they are coprophagous. All of them belong to the superfamily Scarabaeoidea. Scarabaeus laticollis belong to the roller dung beetles. These beetles feed exclusively on dung, which they accomplish by rolling a piece of dung some distance from where it was deposited, and burying it in order to feed on it underground. They also prepare food for their larvae by excavating an underground chamber, and filling it with balls that have eggs laid in them. The growing larva feeds upon the dung ball, pupates, and eventually emerges as an adult. They are medium-small size, of black colour with lines marked lightly in the elitra that cover the abdomen. Their legs are strong, have lamelated antennas, formed by eleven flagellomeres, forming the three latter a rosette. The body is rounded with a rombic head. The legs are of walking and excavating type.
Mediterranean forest. Parque Nacional de Monfragüe
They are very important to recycle the excrements since the cut them in pieces, feed on them, and bury them fertilizing the soil. They are not so frequent as they use to be surely due to the use of insecticides so they are a good indicator of the quality of the environment.
Spotted on Nov 2, 2012
Submitted on Dec 4, 2012
No Comments