Red-Shouldered Aphodius vs Sharp's Rove Beetle
Side-by-side species comparison
| Attribute | Red-Shouldered Aphodius | Sharp's Rove Beetle |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Aphodius rufipes | Philonthus sharpi |
| Order | Coleoptera | Coleoptera |
| Family | Scarabaeidae | Staphylinidae |
| Size | 10-13 mm | 7-10 mm |
| Habitat | Farmland | Woodlands |
| Diet | Dung Feeders | Detritivores |
| Regions | Europe | Japan, Korea, Eastern China |
| Conservation | Least Concern | Least Concern |
Red-Shouldered Aphodius
A medium-sized dweller dung beetle that is entirely black except for reddish-brown leg joints. It is strongly attracted to lights at night and is one of the larger European Aphodius species. Larvae develop inside cattle dung.
Did You Know?
On warm summer nights, large numbers can be seen flying to artificial lights near cattle pastures.
Sharp's Rove Beetle
A medium-sized, metallic-sheened rove beetle named after the eminent coleopterist David Sharp. It is found in woodland and forest habitats where it hunts among leaf litter.
Did You Know?
Named after David Sharp, the Victorian entomologist who described over 3,000 staphylinid species and wrote the definitive 19th-century monograph on rove beetles.