Bright Green Canthon vs Variable Dung Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Bright Green Canthon Variable Dung Beetle
Scientific Name Canthon virens Onthophagus fracticornis
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Scarabaeidae Scarabaeidae
Size 8-14 mm 5-9 mm
Habitat Forests Farmland
Diet Dung Feeders Dung Feeders
Regions South America Europe, Western Asia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Bright Green Canthon

A small, vivid metallic green roller dung beetle found in Brazil and neighboring countries. Its bright coloring is unusual for a dung beetle. It is a diurnal roller in tropical grasslands and forest edges.

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Did You Know?

The vivid green color may help this beetle blend in with foliage while resting during the day.

Variable Dung Beetle

A small, highly variable tunneling dung beetle found across Europe. Coloration ranges from pale brown to nearly black with various mottled patterns. Males have a small bent horn, giving the species its name.

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Did You Know?

The extreme color variation in this species once led taxonomists to describe multiple color forms as separate species.