Saphirinus Dung Beetle vs Amazon Giant Centipede-Eating Ant

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Saphirinus Dung Beetle Amazon Giant Centipede-Eating Ant
Scientific Name Coprophanaeus saphirinus Dinoponera quadriceps
Order Coleoptera Hymenoptera
Family Scarabaeidae Formicidae
Size 18-30 mm 25-30 mm
Habitat Forests Forests
Diet Dung Feeders Predators
Regions South America (Brazil, Argentina) South America (Brazil - northeastern states)
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Saphirinus Dung Beetle

A stunning metallic sapphire-blue tunneling dung beetle with brilliant iridescence. Males have a prominent horn. It is one of the most beautifully colored dung beetles in the Neotropics and an important decomposer.

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Did You Know?

The sapphire-blue metallic sheen is so intense that museum specimens retain their color for over a century.

Amazon Giant Centipede-Eating Ant

A very large ponerine ant endemic to northeastern Brazil, reaching up to 30 mm. Colonies are queenless, with reproduction carried out by a dominant alpha worker. It is a solitary forager that hunts on the forest floor at night.

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Did You Know?

Reproductive hierarchy is maintained through a chemical dominance system where the alpha worker marks subordinates with a specific pheromone.