Black Aphodius vs Dichotomius Dung Beetle
Side-by-side species comparison
| Attribute | Black Aphodius | Dichotomius Dung Beetle |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Aphodius fimetarius | Dichotomius carolinus |
| Order | Coleoptera | Coleoptera |
| Family | Scarabaeidae | Scarabaeidae |
| Size | 5-8 mm | 20-30 mm |
| Habitat | Farmland | Farmland |
| Diet | Dung Feeders | Dung Feeders |
| Regions | Europe, North America, Asia | North America (southeastern United States), Central America |
| Conservation | Least Concern | Least Concern |
Black Aphodius
A small dweller dung beetle with a black head and pronotum and reddish-brown elytra. It lives directly within dung pats rather than tunneling or rolling. One of the most common and widespread dung beetles in the Northern Hemisphere.
Did You Know?
Unlike roller and tunneler species, dwellers complete their entire life cycle within the dung pat itself.
Dichotomius Dung Beetle
A large, robust black tunneling dung beetle with a distinctive bifurcate (forked) horn in males. Females have a transverse ridge on the head instead. It is a nocturnal species that excavates deep tunnels under cattle dung.
Did You Know?
The forked horn gives this genus its name, from the Greek dichotomous meaning divided in two.