Dung beetle
A dung beetle, with a shovel-like head, rolling a dung ball with its hindlegs
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Coleoptera Superfamily: Scarabaeoidea

Dung beetles (also known as tumble bugs) are beetles which feed partly or exclusively on feces. All of these species belong to the superfamily Scarabaeoidea; most of them to the subfamilies Scarabaeinae and Aphodiinae of the family Scarabaeidae. As most species of Scarabaeinae feed exclusively on feces, that subfamily is often dubbed true dung beetles. There are dung-feeding beetles which belong to other families, such as the Geotrupidae (the earth-boring dung beetle). The Scarabaeinae alone comprises more than 5,000 species.^[1] This is a file from the Wikimedia Commons, a repository of free content hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation. ... For other uses, see Scientific classification (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Animal (disambiguation). ... Subphyla and Classes Subphylum Trilobitomorpha Trilobita - trilobites (extinct) Subphylum Chelicerata Arachnida - spiders,scorpions, etc. ... Orders Subclass Apterygota Archaeognatha (bristletails) Thysanura (silverfish) Subclass Pterygota Infraclass Paleoptera (Probably paraphyletic) Ephemeroptera (mayflies) Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) Infraclass Neoptera Superorder Exopterygota Grylloblattodea (ice-crawlers) Mantophasmatodea (gladiators) Plecoptera (stoneflies) Embioptera (webspinners) Zoraptera (angel insects) Dermaptera (earwigs) Orthoptera (grasshoppers, etc) Phasmatodea (stick insects) Blattodea (cockroaches) Isoptera (termites) Mantodea (mantids) Psocoptera... For other uses, see Beetle (disambiguation). ... Families See text. ... For other uses, see Beetle (disambiguation). ... Horse feces Feces, faeces, or fæces (see spelling differences) is a waste product from an animals digestive tract expelled through the anus (or cloaca) during defecation. ... For other uses, see Species (disambiguation). ... Families See text. ... tribe Canthonini Coprini Dichotomiini Eucraniini Eurysterini Gymnopleurini Onitini Oniticellini Onthophagini Phanaeini Scarabaeini Sisyphini The subfamily Scarabaeinae consists of species often lablled true dung beetles. Most of the beetles of this subfamily feed exclusively on dungs. ... Tribes Aegialiini Aphodiini Eupariini Odontolochini Proctophanini Psammodiini Stereomerini Rhyparini Wikispecies has information related to: Aphodiinae The subfamily Aphodiinae consists of species often labelled Aphodiine dung beetles. Many of the beetles of this subfamily feed on dung, though not exclusively. ... subfamily Aegialiinae Aphodiinae Cetoniinae Dynastinae Euchirinae Hopliinae Idiostominae Melolonthinae Orphninae Pachypodinae Phaenomerinae Phileurinae Rutelinae Scarabaeinae Sericinae Taurocerastinae Trichiinae Valginae Wikispecies has information related to: Scarabaeidae The family Scarabaeidae as presently defined consists of over 30,000 species of beetles worldwide. ... Genera See text. ...

Many dung beetles, known as rollers, are noted for rolling dung into spherical balls, which are used as a food source or brooding chambers. Other dung beetles, known as tunnellers, bury the dung wherever they find it. A third group, the dwellers, neither roll nor burrow: they simply live in manure.

Appearance

An earth-boring dung beetle, of the genus Geotrupes, 20 mm in size, with green metallic sheen

The size of a dung beetle varies from species to species. The "dwellers" are usually small and elongate. Dung beetles are basically black, brown or purplish yellow in color; some are of metallic luster, especially the tropical species. Most dung beetles have a flattened, but stout body. The male of some species has horns at the head or thorax. Some dung beetles, other than the "dwellers", have strong, often "toothed" legs specialised for rolling dung and burrowing. The tarsi at the forelegs of an old dung beetle are usually damaged or lost owing to the labor of burrowing - some species do not have tarsi at the forelegs at all. The desert species also have hair on the legs which facilitates their movement on sand. Dung beetles have soft mouthparts suited to their diet. Image File history File links Dung_beetle_Geotrupes_sp. ... Image File history File links Dung_beetle_Geotrupes_sp. ... Genera Some species: Geotrupes blackburnii Geotrupes mutator Geotrupes spiniger Geotrupes splendidus - golden scarab Geotrupes stercorarius Geotrupes vernalis Wikispecies has information related to: Geotrupes Geotrupes (from Greek earth-boring) is a genus of scarab beetles and the type genus of its tribe. ... Diagram of a tsetse fly, showing the head, thorax and abdomen The thorax is a division of an animals body that lies between the head and the abdomen. ... An insect leg The arthropod leg is a form of jointed appendage of arthropods, usually used for walking. ... This article is about arid terrain. ... For other uses, see Sand (disambiguation). ...

Ecology and behavior

Dung beetles live in many different habitats, including desert, farmland, forest, and grasslands. They do not like extremely cold or dry weather. They occur on all continents except Antarctica. For other uses, see Farm (disambiguation). ... This article is about a community of trees. ... The Konza tallgrass prairie in the Flint Hills of northeastern Kansas. ...

Dung beetles eat dung excreted by herbivores and omnivores, and prefer that produced by the former. Many of them also feed on mushrooms and decaying leaves and fruits. They do not need to eat or drink anything else because the dung provides all the necessary nutrients. The larvae feeds on the undigested plant fiber in the dung, while the adults do not eat solid food at all. Instead they use their mouthparts to squeeze and suck the juice from the manure, a liquid full of micro-organisms and other nutrients (as well as the body fluids from some unlucky animals such as dung-feeding maggots that sometimes get trapped between their mandibles). A deer and two fawns feeding on some foliage A herbivore is often defined as any organism that eats only plants[1]. By that definition, many fungi, some bacteria, many animals, about 1% of flowering plants and some protists can be considered herbivores. ... Pigs are omnivores. ... Basidiocarps (mushrooms) of the fungus Leucocoprinus sp. ... For other uses, see Decomposition (disambiguation). ... Look up foliage in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For other uses, see Fruit (disambiguation). ... A nutrient is a substance used in an organisms metabolism which must be taken in from the environment. ... The mandible (from Latin mandibÅ­la, jawbone) or inferior maxillary bone is, together with the maxilla, the largest and strongest bone of the face. ...

Two dung beetles fighting for a dung ball

Most dung beetles search for dung with the aid of their strong sense of smell. Some of the smaller species, however, simply attach themselves to the dung-providers to wait for their reward. After capturing the dung, a dung beetle will roll it, following a straight line despite all obstacles. Sometimes dung beetles will try to steal the dung ball of another beetle, so the dung beetles have to move rapidly away from a dung pile once they have rolled their ball to prevent it from being stolen. In 2003, researchers found that a species of dung beetle navigates by using polarization patterns in moonlight. The species in question is the African Scarabaeus zambesianus. The discovery is the first proof that any animal can use polarized moonlight for orientation.^[2][3][4] Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2184x1540, 931 KB) Beschreibung Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Dung beetle Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2184x1540, 931 KB) Beschreibung Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Dung beetle Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner... Olfaction (also known as olfactics) refers to the sense of smell. ... In electrodynamics, polarization (also spelled polarisation) is the property of electromagnetic waves, such as light, that describes the direction of their transverse electric field. ... Moonlight has several meanings: Moonlight is the light that is perceived as coming from the moon. ...

The "rollers" roll and bury a dung ball either for food storage or for making a brooding ball. In the latter case, two beetles, one male and one female, will be seen around the dung ball during the rolling process. Usually it is the male that rolls the ball, with the female hitch-hiking or simply following behind. In some cases the male and the female roll together. When a spot with soft soil is found, they stop and bury the dung ball. They will then mate underground. After the mating, both or one of them will prepare the brooding ball. When the ball is finished, the female lays eggs inside it, a form of mass provisioning. Some species do not leave after this stage, but remain to safeguard their offspring. IT FEELS REALLY GOOD IF YOU IMATATE THE ANIMALS. LOL! “Mounting” redirects here. ...

The dung beetle goes through a complete metamorphosis. The larvae live in brood balls made with dung prepared by their parents. During the larval stage the beetle feeds on the dung surrounding it. A Pieris rapae larva An older Pieris rapae larva A Pieris rapae pupa A Pieris rapae adult Metamorphosis is a process in biology by which an individual physically develops after birth or hatching, and involves significant change in form as well as growth and differentiation. ...

The behaviour of the beetles was much misunderstood, until the pioneering studies of Jean Henri Fabre. For example, Fabre corrected the myth that a dung beetle would seek aid from other dung beetles when confronted by obstacles. By painstaking observations and experiments, he found that the seeming helpers were in fact robbers awaiting an opportunity to steal the roller's food source: Jean Henri Fabre Jean-Henri Casimir Fabre (December 22, 1823 - October 11, 1915) was a French entomologist and author. ...

Theory and practice Issues History Culture By region Lists Related Anarchism Portal Politics Portal ·        Pierre-Joseph Proudhon (pronounced [ˈpruːd É’n] in British English, [pʁu dɔ̃] in French) (January 15, 1809 – January 19, 1865) was a French mutualist political philosopher of the socialist tradition. ...

Benefits and uses

An earth-boring dung beetle working

Dung beetles play a remarkable role in agriculture. By burying and consuming dung, they improve nutrient cycling and soil structure. They also protect livestock, such as cattle, by removing the dung which, if left, could provide habitat for pests such as flies. Therefore, many countries have introduced the creature for the benefit of animal husbandry. In developing countries, the beetle is especially important as an adjunct for improving standards of hygiene. The American Institute of Biological Sciences reports that dung beetles save the United States cattle industry an estimated US$380 million annually through burying above-ground livestock feces.^[6] Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1000x1100, 354 KB) Beschreibung Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Dung beetle Detritivore Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1000x1100, 354 KB) Beschreibung Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Dung beetle Detritivore Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or... For general information about the genus, including other species of cattle, see Bos. ... Larval form of some beetle is damaging specimen of Sceliphron destillatorius in entomogical collection. ... For other uses, see Fly (disambiguation) and Flies (disambiguation). ... Predatory Polistes wasp looking for bollworms or other caterpillars on a cotton plant Biological control of pests and diseases is a method of controlling pests (including weeds and diseases) in agriculture that relies on natural predation, parasitism or other natural mechanism, rather than introduced chemicals. ... Shepherd with his sheep in FăgăraÅŸ Mountains, Romania. ... A developing country is a country with low average income compared to the world average. ... The American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) is a nonprofit scientific association dedicated to advancing biological research and education. ... Motto: (traditional) In God We Trust (official, 1956–present) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City Official language(s) None at the federal level; English de facto Government Federal Republic  - President George W. Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence - Declared - Recognized... USD redirects here. ...

Like many other insects, the (dried) dung beetle, called qianglang (蜣蜋) in Chinese, is used in Chinese herbal medicine. It is recorded in the "Insect section" (蟲部) of the Compendium of Materia Medica, where it is recommended for the cure of 10 different diseases. Chinese materia medica (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ), is the common name of Chinese materia medica subject. ... The Compendium of Materia Medica (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Pen-tsao Kang-mu) is a 1596 pharmaceutical text written by the Ming Dynasty physician Li Shizhen. ...

Scarab in Ancient Egypt

Several species of the dung beetle, most notably the species Scarabaeus sacer (often referred to as the sacred scarab), enjoyed a sacred status among the ancient Egyptians. The pyramids are the most recognizable symbols of the civilization of ancient Egypt. ...

The hieroglyphic image of the beetle represents a trilateral phonetic that Egyptologists transliterate as xpr or ḫpr and translate as "to come into being", "to become" or "to transform". The derivative term xprw or ḫpr(w) is variously translated as "form", "transformation", "happening", "mode of being" or "what has come into being", depending on the context. It may have existential, fictional, or ontologic significance. A section of the Papyrus of Ani showing cursive hieroglyphs. ...

The scarab was linked to Khepri ("he who has come into being"), the god of the rising sun. The ancients believed that the dung beetle was only male in gender, and reproduced by depositing semen into a dung ball. The supposed self-creation of the beetle resembles that of Khepri, who creates himself out of nothing. Moreover, the dung ball rolled by a dung beetle resembles the sun. Plutarch wrote: Khepri as a scarab beetle, pushing the sun across the sky In Egyptian mythology, Khepri (also spelt Khepera, Kheper, Chepri, Khepra) is the name of a minor god. ... Sol redirects here. ... Horse semen being collected for breeding purposes. ... Mestrius Plutarchus (Greek: Πλούταρχος; 46 - 127), better known in English as Plutarch, was a Greek historian, biographer, essayist, and Middle Platonist. ...

The ancient Egyptians believed that Khepri renewed the sun every day before rolling it above the horizon, then carried it through the other world after sunset, only to renew it, again, the next day. Some New Kingdom royal tombs exhibit a threefold image of the sun god, with the beetle as symbol of the morning sun. The astronomical ceiling in the tomb of Ramses VI portrays the nightly "death" and "rebirth" of the sun as being swallowed by Nut, goddess of the sky, and re-emerging from her womb as Khepri. The New Kingdom is the period in ancient Egyptian history between the 16th century BCE and the 11th century BC, covering the Eighteenth, Nineteenth, and Twentieth Dynasties of Egypt. ... Ramses VI (reigned 1145 – 1137 BC) was the fifth ruler of the Twentieth dynasty of Egypt and his tomb is located near King Tutankhamens in The Valley of the Kings. ... In Egyptian mythology, Nuit or Nut was the sky goddess, in contrast to most other mythologies, which usually have a sky father. ...

A scarab, depicted on the walls of Tomb KV6 in the Valley of the Kings

The image of the scarab, conveying ideas of transformation, renewal, and resurrection, is ubiquitous in ancient Egyptian religious and funerary art. Scarab beetle in Tomb KV6, Valley of the Kings Photo taken by Hajor, Dec. ... Scarab beetle in Tomb KV6, Valley of the Kings Photo taken by Hajor, Dec. ... Ramses IXs names appear on the doorway to the tomb This article is about a tomb in the Theban Necropolis. ... Location of the valley in the Theban Hills, West of the Nile, October 1988 (red arrow shows location) The Valley of the Kings (Arabic: وادي الملوك Wadi Biban el-Muluk; Gates of the King)[1] is a valley in Egypt where for a period of nearly 500 years from the 16th to...

Excavations of ancient Egyptian sites have yielded images of the scarab in bone, ivory, stone, Egyptian faience, and precious metals, dating from the Sixth Dynasty and up to the period of Roman rule. They are generally small, bored to allow stringing on a necklace, and the base bears a brief inscription or cartouche. Some have been used as seals. Pharaohs sometimes commissioned the manufacture of larger images with lengthy inscriptions, such as the commemorative scarab of Queen Tiye. Massive sculptures of scarabs can be seen at Luxor Temple, at the Serapeum in Alexandria (see Serapis) and elsewhere in Egypt. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Egyptian faience is an extension of the term faience. ... For other uses, see Cartouche (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Pharaoh (disambiguation). ... Tiye. ... Luxor Temple, from the east bank of the Nile Luxor Temple is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the River Nile in the city today known as Luxor (ancient Thebes). ... Serapis can refer to: A series of British ships named HMS Serapis. ...

The scarab was of prime significance in the funerary cult of ancient Egypt. Scarabs, generally, though not always, were cut from green stone, and placed on the chest of the deceased. Perhaps the most famous example of such "heart scarabs" is the yellow-green pectoral scarab found among the entombed provisions of Tutankhamen. It was carved from a large piece of Libyan desert glass. The purpose of the "heart scarab" was to ensure that the heart would not bear witness against the deceased at judgement in the Afterlife. Other possibilities are suggested by the "transformation spells" of the Coffin Texts, which affirm that the soul of the deceased may transform (xpr) into a human being, a god, or a bird and reappear in the world of the living. Tutankhamun (alternate transcription Tutankhamen), named Tutankhaten early in his life, was Pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt (1334 BC/1333 BC - 1323 BC), during the period known as the New Kingdom. ... Libyan Desert Glass Desert Glass, Libyan Desert Glass (LDG), Edeowie Glass, or Great Sand Sea Glass is found in large (tens of kilometers) regions of sandy deserts in the Libyan Desert, Africa, and in South Australia. ...

A carved steatite scarab amulet - circa 550 BC.

One scholar comments on other traits of the scarab connected with the theme of death and rebirth: Image File history File links Scarab550bc. ... Image File history File links Scarab550bc. ... An Egyptian carved and glazed steatite scarab amulet. ... Centuries: 7th century BC - 6th century BC - 5th century BC Decades: 600s BC - 590s BC - 580s BC - 570s BC - 560s BC - 550s BC - 540s BC - 530s BC - 520s BC - 510s BC - 500s BC Events and Trends Carthage conquers Sicily, Sardinia and Corsica 559 BC - King Cambyses I of Anshan dies...

In contrast to funerary contexts, some of ancient Egypt's neighbors adopted the scarab motif for seals. The best-known of these being Judean LMLK seals (8 of 21 designs contained scarab beetles), which were used exclusively to stamp impressions on storage jars during the reign of Hezekiah. LMLK seals were stamped on the handles of large storage jars in and around Jerusalem during the reign of King Hezekiah (circa 700 BC) based on several complete jars found in situ buried under a destruction layer caused by Sennacherib at Lachish. ... Hezekiah (or Ezekias) (Hebrew: חזקיה or חזקיהו, God has strengthened) was the 13th king of indepedent Judah and the son of King Ahaz and Abijah (2 Chronicles 29:1), who was a daughter of a man (who was not the prophet) named Zechariah. ...

The scarab remains an item of popular interest thanks to modern fascination with the art and beliefs of ancient Egypt. Scarab beads in semiprecious stones or glazed ceramics can be purchased at most bead shops, while at Luxor Temple a massive ancient scarab has been roped off to discourage visitors from rubbing the base of the statue "for luck".

In literature

In Aesop's fable "The Dung Beetle and the Eagle", the eagle kills a hare despite the beetle's appeals. The beetle takes revenge by twice destroying the eagle's eggs. The eagle, in despair, flies up to Olympus and places her latest eggs in Zeus's lap, beseeching the god to protect them. When the beetle finds out what the eagle has done, it stuffs itself with dung, goes straight up to Zeus and flies right into his face. Zeus is startled at the sight of the unpleasant creature and jumps to his feet. The eggs are broken. Zeus then learns of the beetle's plea which the eagle had ignored. He scolds the eagle and urges the beetle to stay away from the bird. But his efforts to persuade the beetle fail; so he changes the breeding season of the eagles to take place at a time when the beetles are not above ground. Aesop, as conceived by Diego Velázquez Aesop, as depicted in the Nuremberg Chronicle by Hartmann Schedel in 1493. ... This article is about the Greek mountain. ... For other uses, see Zeus (disambiguation). ...

Aristophanes alluded to Aesop's fable several times in his plays. In Peace, the hero rides up to Olympus to free the goddess Peace from her prison. His steed is an enormous dung beetle which has been fed so much dung that it has grown to monstrous size. This article is about the 5-4th century BC dramatist. ... Peace is a comedy written and produced by the ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes. ...

In Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis, the transformed character of Gregor Samsa is called an "old dung beetle" (alten Mistkäfer) by the charwoman. Kafka redirects here. ... The Metamorphosis (German: ) is a novella by Franz Kafka, first published in 1915, and arguably the most famous of his works along with the longer works The Trial and The Castle. ...

The inadvertent theft of a prized scarab forms the backdrop to Something Fresh, the first of the celebrated Blandings Castle novels of P.G. Wodehouse. Something Fresh is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse. ... Blandings Castle is a collection of short stories by P. G. Wodehouse. ... Called English literatures performing flea, P. G. Wodehouse, pictured in 1904, became famous for his complex plots, ingenious wordplay, and prolific output. ...

See also Edgar Allan Poe's "The Gold-Bug". Edgar Allan Poe (January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American poet, short story writer, playwright, editor, literary critic, essayist and one of the leaders of the American Romantic Movement. ... The Gold-Bug is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe, set on Sullivans Island, South Carolina. ...

Notes

Nature is a prominent scientific journal, first published on 4 November 1869. ... The Loeb Classical Library is a series of books, today published by the Harvard University Press, which present important works of ancient Greek and Latin Literature in a way designed to make the text accessible to the broadest possible audience, by presenting the original Greek or Latin text on each...

Further reading

• Buchberger, Hannes (1993). Transformation und Transformat. Sargtextstudien I. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag. ISBN 3-447-03078-X.
• Cooney, K.M. and Johnna Tyrrell (2005). "Scarabs in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art".PalArch's Journal of Archaeology of Egypt/Egyptology 4(1-3):1-98.
• Faulkner, Raymond O. (2002). A Concise Dictionary of Middle Egyptian. Oxford: Griffith Institute. ISBN 0-900416-32-7.
• Halffter, Gonzalo and Eric G. Matthews (1966). "The Natural History of Dung Beetles: Of the Subfamily Scarabaeinae". Folia Entomológica Mexicana 12-14:1-312 (rpt. Palermo: Medical Books, 1999).
• Hanski, Ilkka and Yves Cambefort (ed.s) (1991). Dung Beetle Ecology. Princeton: Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-08739-3.
• Taylor, John H. (2004). Mummy: The Inside Story. London: British Museum Press. ISBN 0-7141-1962-8.
• Wilkinson, Richard H. (1994). Symbol & Magic in Egyptian Art. London: Thames and Hudson. ISBN 0-500-23663-1.
• Connor Hillo, The scarab is the symbol of Re, the sun god of Egypt. The Egyptians thought that the dung ball was equated to the sun in the sky (while rolling).

Dr Raymond Oliver Faulkner, FSA, (26 December 1894 —- 3 March 1982) was an English Egyptologist and philologist of the ancient Egyptian language. ...

External links

Wikispecies has information related to:

Scarabaeinae

Wikispecies has information related to:

Aphodiinae

• Scarabaeinae Research Network, "an international group of dung beetle taxonomists, ecologists and systematists working together to establish scarabaeine dung beetles as an invertebrate focal taxon for biodiversity study and conservation"
• Jill Aisthorpe, Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, Queensland government, and Penny Edwards, Dung beetles – biology and life cycles
• Australia Museum, Dung bettles
• Tomas Libich, Congo dung beetle sp1 and Congo dung beetle sp2 photos