Rainbow Scarab Beetle

I briefly met a Rainbow Scarab Beetle; she scurried underground as I was taking pictures. I say "she" because I don't see the rhinoceros-like horn that the males have.

This is one of our native dung beetles. They love dung so much they bring it down into their burrows. This is actually a benefit for us, as they're helping to eliminate the dung that would otherwise run off into our water systems during rain, or perhaps draw/feed flies that would be more of an annoyance to us.

I suspect the soil around the beetle are soilcasts; basically just the soil that the beetles removed while building their tunnels. This is evidence of another benefit of these beetles; they help aerate the soil.

Most dung beetles are less colorful and shiny. I'm not sure why these guys are different. I haven't read that they're poisonous, so it presumably helps them attract mates.

May 6, 2021 at Sourland Mountain Preserve
Photo 128957961, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)


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