Jewel Desert Beetle vs Broad-Toothed Scarab

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Jewel Desert Beetle Broad-Toothed Scarab
Scientific Name Julodis cirrosa Scarabaeus laticollis
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Buprestidae Scarabaeidae
Size 25-40 mm 15-22 mm
Habitat Deserts & Drylands Heathland
Diet Wood Feeders Dung Feeders
Regions Africa, Middle East Southern Europe, North Africa
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Jewel Desert Beetle

A strikingly colorful jewel beetle with tufts of hair along its body. It inhabits arid Mediterranean and desert-edge scrublands.

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Did You Know?

Its iridescent coloring comes from microscopic layers in its exoskeleton, not pigments.

Broad-Toothed Scarab

A medium-sized, glossy black roller dung beetle with a broad pronotum and strong clypeal teeth. Common across Mediterranean regions, it rolls balls from sheep and goat dung. Most active in afternoon heat.

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Did You Know?

In ancient Greece, this species was likely confused with the sacred scarab and may have inspired some mythological accounts.