Elephant Dung Beetle vs Scarlet Net-Winged Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Elephant Dung Beetle Scarlet Net-Winged Beetle
Scientific Name Heliocopris dilloni Plateros brasiliensis
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Scarabaeidae Lycidae
Size 35-55 mm 8-14 mm
Habitat Grasslands Forests
Diet Dung Feeders Fungus Feeders
Regions East Africa, Southern Africa South America
Conservation Least Concern Not Evaluated

Elephant Dung Beetle

A very large black dung beetle that specializes in elephant dung. Males have a prominent curved horn on the thorax.

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Did You Know?

A single elephant dropping can attract over 4,000 dung beetles within 15 minutes of being deposited.

Scarlet Net-Winged Beetle

A bright red lycid beetle found in the Atlantic Forest region of Brazil. Its vivid coloration is part of a large mimicry complex involving multiple insect orders.

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Did You Know?

The genus Plateros is one of the most species-rich lycid genera, with over 1,000 described species worldwide.