Igneus Rainbow Scarab vs Scarites Ground Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Igneus Rainbow Scarab Scarites Ground Beetle
Scientific Name Phanaeus igneus Scarites subterraneus
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Scarabaeidae Carabidae
Size 12-20 mm 15-22 mm
Habitat Forests Deserts & Drylands
Diet Dung Feeders Omnivores
Regions Southeastern North America Eastern North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Igneus Rainbow Scarab

A brilliantly metallic green, blue, and red tunneling dung beetle of the southeastern United States. Males have a long, slender horn on the head. It tunnels beneath dung on sandy soils in pine forests.

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Did You Know?

The fiery metallic colors that give it the name igneus make it one of the most colorful beetles in North America.

Scarites Ground Beetle

A large, jet-black burrowing ground beetle found across eastern North America. Its powerful mandibles and flattened body are adapted for digging.

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Did You Know?

It constructs deep vertical burrows in soil from which it ambushes passing prey.