Ivory-Spotted Dung Beetle vs Igneus Rainbow Scarab

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Ivory-Spotted Dung Beetle Igneus Rainbow Scarab
Scientific Name Euoniticellus pallipes Phanaeus igneus
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Scarabaeidae Scarabaeidae
Size 5-8 mm 12-20 mm
Habitat Farmland Forests
Diet Dung Feeders Dung Feeders
Regions Africa, introduced to Australia Southeastern North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Ivory-Spotted Dung Beetle

A small, pale brown tunneling dung beetle with ivory-colored legs. Native to Africa, it has been introduced to several countries as a biological control agent. It is especially efficient in warm, dry climates.

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Did You Know?

This tiny beetle can compete with much larger species by arriving first and tunneling quickly beneath fresh dung.

Igneus Rainbow Scarab

A brilliantly metallic green, blue, and red tunneling dung beetle of the southeastern United States. Males have a long, slender horn on the head. It tunnels beneath dung on sandy soils in pine forests.

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Did You Know?

The fiery metallic colors that give it the name igneus make it one of the most colorful beetles in North America.