Blackburn Earth-Boring Beetle vs Madagascan Headlight Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Blackburn Earth-Boring Beetle Madagascan Headlight Beetle
Scientific Name Blackburnium reichei Heteronychus arator madagascariensis
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Geotrupidae Scarabaeidae
Size 8-12 mm 12-16 mm
Habitat Heathland Farmland
Diet Dung Feeders Root Feeders
Regions Australia Madagascar
Conservation Least Concern Not Evaluated

Blackburn Earth-Boring Beetle

A small, globular earth-boring dung beetle with a dark brown to black body. Endemic to Australia, it processes marsupial dung. It constructs deep burrows in sandy soils provisioned with dung for larvae.

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Did You Know?

This is one of the few native Australian dung beetles adapted to process the dry, fibrous dung of marsupials.

Madagascan Headlight Beetle

A dark scarab beetle found in Madagascar that is an agricultural pest of grasses. Larvae develop in soil feeding on plant roots.

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Did You Know?

Adults are strong fliers and are attracted to lights at night in large numbers.