Big-headed Tiger Beetle vs Satanas Dung Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Big-headed Tiger Beetle Satanas Dung Beetle
Scientific Name Megacephala virginica Dichotomius satanas
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Carabidae Scarabaeidae
Size 18-24 mm 22-35 mm
Habitat Rivers & Streams Forests
Diet Predators Dung Feeders
Regions Southeastern United States South America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Big-headed Tiger Beetle

A nocturnal tiger beetle with a disproportionately large head and long curved mandibles. It is dark brown to black and hunts on sandy riverbanks after dark.

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Did You Know?

Unlike most tiger beetles that hunt by day, this species is strictly nocturnal and is attracted to artificial lights near sandy habitats.

Satanas Dung Beetle

A large, pitch-black tunneling dung beetle with a deeply forked cephalic horn in males that gives it a devilish appearance. It is a powerful nocturnal tunneler in South American forests. Its dark coloring provides excellent camouflage at night.

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Did You Know?

Its ominous name comes from the deeply forked horn that resembles devil horns in medieval European art.