Ivory-Spotted Dung Beetle vs Viceroy Butterfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Ivory-Spotted Dung Beetle Viceroy Butterfly
Scientific Name Euoniticellus pallipes Limenitis archippus
Order Coleoptera Lepidoptera
Family Scarabaeidae Nymphalidae
Size 5-8 mm 53-81 mm wingspan
Habitat Farmland Ponds & Lakes
Diet Dung Feeders Dung Feeders
Regions Africa, introduced to Australia 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.

Viceroy Butterfly

Orange and black wings resembling the Monarch but with a black postmedian line across the hindwings. Once thought to be a harmless mimic, it is actually unpalatable too.

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Did You Know?

It is a Mullerian co-mimic with the Monarch, as both species are distasteful to predators.