Ivory-Spotted Dung Beetle vs Macropis Cuckoo Bee

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Ivory-Spotted Dung Beetle Macropis Cuckoo Bee
Scientific Name Euoniticellus pallipes Epeoloides coecutiens
Order Coleoptera Hymenoptera
Family Scarabaeidae Melittidae
Size 5-8 mm 7-10 mm
Habitat Farmland Farmland
Diet Dung Feeders Parasites
Regions Africa, introduced to Australia Europe, Eastern North America
Conservation Least Concern Endangered

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.

Macropis Cuckoo Bee

A rare cleptoparasitic bee that targets nests of Macropis oil-collecting bees. It was once thought extinct in North America before being rediscovered in Nova Scotia in 2002.

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Did You Know?

Its dramatic rediscovery in North America after decades of presumed extinction made international conservation news.