Australian Horned Dung Beetle vs Jewel Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Australian Horned Dung Beetle Jewel Beetle
Scientific Name Onthophagus australis Chrysochroa fulgidissima
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Scarabaeidae Buprestidae
Size 6-10 mm 30-41 mm
Habitat Farmland Woodlands
Diet Dung Feeders Wood Feeders
Regions Australia 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.

Jewel Beetle

Prized for its iridescent metallic green and red-gold elytra. Used in traditional Japanese art called Tamamushi. The colors come from multilayer reflectors in their shell.

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Did You Know?

The jewel beetle can detect forest fires from 80 km away using infrared sensors on its thorax, as it lays eggs in freshly burned wood.