''Anoplotrupes stercorosus'', the dor beetle, is a species of earth-boring

dung beetle Dung beetles are beetles that feed on feces. Some species of dung beetles can bury dung 250 times their own mass in one night. Many dung beetles, known as ''rollers'', roll dung into round balls, which are used as a food source or breeding cha ...

belonging to the family

Geotrupidae Geotrupidae (from Greek γῆ ''(gē)'', earth, and τρῡπητής ''(trȳpētēs)'', borer) is a family of beetles in the order Coleoptera. They are commonly called earth-boring dung beetles or dor beetles. Most excavate burrows in which ...

, subfamily

Geotrupinae Geotrupinae is a subfamily of earth-boring scarab beetles in the family Geotrupidae. There are more than 30 genera and 450 described species in Geotrupinae. Genera These 31 genera belong to the subfamily Geotrupinae: * '' Allotrupes'' Françoi ...

Varieties

Varieties or forms that have been recognized at times include the following: *''A. stercorosus'' var. ''viridis'' (Dalla Torre, 1879) *''A. stercorosus'' var. ''amoethystinus'' (Mulsant, 1842) *''A. stercorosus'' var. ''nigrinus'' (Mulsant, 1842) *''A. stercorosus'' ab. ''juvenilis'' (Mulsant, 1842) These are now regarded as synonyms of the parent taxon; the

International Code of Zoological Nomenclature The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) is a widely accepted convention in zoology that rules the formal scientific naming of organisms treated as animals. It is also informally known as the ICZN Code, for its publisher, the ...

does not recognize named forms other than

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

Distribution

This beetle is present throughout

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

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) It is also found in other regions of the world where cattle have been introduced, such as Australia..

Habitat

These beetles inhabit fresh areas of broadleaf forests, mainly

beech Beech (''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia, and North America. Recent classifications recognize 10 to 13 species in two distinct subgenera, ''Engleriana'' and ''Fagus''. The ''Engle ...

forests; moist mixed forest; and fresh

coniferous Conifers are a group of cone-bearing seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single extant class, Pinopsida. All extant ...

forests.

Description

The adults of ''A. stercorosus'' grow up to long Commanster
/ref>
/ref> and therefore they do not reach the length of the very similar common dung beetle ('' Geotrupes stercorarius''). The body colour is blue-black, while the underside is usually metallic blue. The

elytra An elytron (; ; , ) is a modified, hardened forewing of beetles (Coleoptera), though a few of the true bugs (Hemiptera) such as the family Schizopteridae are extremely similar; in true bugs, the forewings are called hemelytra (sometimes alterna ...

have seven longitudinal slightly dotted grooves. The wings may be blue, violet or green. Antennae are reddish brown. '' Geotrupes stercorarius'' presents three keels on the outer side of the tibia of the third pair of legs, while ''A. stercorosus'' presents only two.

Biology

Adults can be encountered from June through the following spring. These dung beetles feed on feces, rotting fungi and tree sap. In spring they lay eggs in chambers at the end of a corridor dug in the soil that is approximately long, in which feces of herbivorous and omnivorous animals are placed to feed the larvae. They may also feed on litter mold, decomposing fungi and ''

Phallus impudicus ''Phallus impudicus'', known colloquially as the common stinkhorn, is a widespread fungus in the Phallaceae (stinkhorn) family. It is recognizable for its foul odor and its phallic shape when mature, the latter feature giving rise to several n ...

''. The larvae overwinter and pupate in spring, requiring a year to complete the whole process.

Gallery

File:Geotropidae - Anoplotrupes stercorosus-3.JPG , ''Anoplotrupes stercorosus'' moving feces File:Anoplotrupes stercorosus - taking flight (2006-07-04).jpg, Taking flight File:Geotrupidae - Anoplotrupes stercorosus-001.JPG, Museum specimen File:Anoplotrupes stercorosus.ogv , Video clip

Bibliography

* Anderson, R., Nash, R. & O'Connor, J. P. 1997, Irish Coleoptera: a revised and annotated list, Irish Naturalists' Journal Special Entomological Supplement, 1-81 * Joy, N. H., 1932, A practical handbook of British beetles, H. F. & G. Witherby, London * Jessop, L., 1986, Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea. Dung beetles and chafers * Mann, D., 2002, Geotrupidae in: Checklist of Beetles of the British Isles. www.coleopterist.org.uk * Mulsant E. (1842) Histoire naturelle des Coléoptères de France. Lamellicornes, Paris, Lyon :1-623 * Scriba L.G. (1791) Entomologische Bemerkungen und Erfahrungen, Journal für die Liebhaber der Entomologie. Frankfurt 1(3):244-255

References

External links

Habitas

Animal Diversity

Aramel.free
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1314196 Geotrupidae Beetles of Europe Beetles described in 1791 Articles containing video clips