Saphirinus Dung Beetle vs European Seedcorn Ground Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Saphirinus Dung Beetle European Seedcorn Ground Beetle
Scientific Name Coprophanaeus saphirinus Zabrus tenebrioides
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Scarabaeidae Carabidae
Size 18-30 mm 14-18 mm
Habitat Forests Farmland
Diet Dung Feeders Herbivores
Regions South America (Brazil, Argentina) Europe, Central Asia
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.

European Seedcorn Ground Beetle

An unusual ground beetle that is herbivorous as an adult, feeding on cereal crops. Larvae are predatory and live in soil burrows.

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Did You Know?

It is one of the very few ground beetles that is a crop pest rather than a beneficial predator.