Australian Horned Dung Beetle vs Jet Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Australian Horned Dung Beetle Jet Beetle
Scientific Name Onthophagus australis Stenus comma
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Scarabaeidae Staphylinidae
Size 6-10 mm 5-7 mm
Habitat Farmland Ponds & Lakes
Diet Dung Feeders Predators
Regions Australia Europe, Northern Asia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Australian Horned Dung Beetle

A small brown tunneling dung beetle native to Australia with minor horns in males. It was one of the first dung beetle species studied in early Australian biological control programs. It excavates tunnels beneath cow pats.

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Did You Know?

Australia imported dozens of dung beetle species to deal with cattle dung that native beetles could not process.

Jet Beetle

A tiny, goggle-eyed rove beetle that hunts with a remarkable extendable labium tipped with adhesive pads. It can also skim across water surfaces using a unique chemical propulsion mechanism.

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Did You Know?

Stenus beetles secrete stenusine from pygidial glands, which lowers water surface tension behind them, propelling them across water at speeds up to 70 cm per second.