Cottonwood Stag Beetle vs Black Aphodius

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Cottonwood Stag Beetle Black Aphodius
Scientific Name Lucanus mazama Aphodius fimetarius
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Lucanidae Scarabaeidae
Size 22-35 mm 5-8 mm
Habitat Rivers & Streams Farmland
Diet Wood Feeders Dung Feeders
Regions Central and Southern United States Europe, North America, Asia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Cottonwood Stag Beetle

A medium-sized North American stag beetle found near river bottoms. Males have moderately large mandibles.

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Did You Know?

They are most commonly found near cottonwood and willow trees along river corridors.

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.

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Did You Know?

Unlike roller and tunneler species, dwellers complete their entire life cycle within the dung pat itself.