Variable Dung Beetle vs Rice Weevil

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Variable Dung Beetle Rice Weevil
Scientific Name Onthophagus fracticornis Sitophilus oryzae
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Scarabaeidae Curculionidae
Size 5-9 mm 2-3.5 mm
Habitat Farmland Indoors
Diet Dung Feeders Seed Feeders
Regions Europe, Western Asia Worldwide
Conservation Least Concern Not Evaluated

Variable Dung Beetle

A small, highly variable tunneling dung beetle found across Europe. Coloration ranges from pale brown to nearly black with various mottled patterns. Males have a small bent horn, giving the species its name.

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Did You Know?

The extreme color variation in this species once led taxonomists to describe multiple color forms as separate species.

Rice Weevil

A small reddish-brown weevil that is one of the most destructive stored grain pests worldwide. Adults bore into kernels to lay eggs inside.

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Did You Know?

A single female can lay up to 400 eggs in her lifetime, each deposited inside an individual grain kernel.