''Ateuchus colossus'', is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of
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
Scarabaeidae
The family Scarabaeidae, as currently defined, consists of over 30,000 species of beetles worldwide; they are often called scarabs or scarab beetles. The classification of this family has undergone significant change in recent years. Several sub ...
. It is found from three locations of the region of
Los Chimalapas
The Chimalapas montane forests is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion in southern Mexico. It includes the montane tropical forests of the Chimalapas region on the boundary of Chiapas and Oaxaca.
Geography
The Chimalapas region is in th ...
,
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
.
Etymology
The scientific name ''colossus'', meaning ''huge'', where it is the largest known ''Ateuchus'' species in
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
up to date.
Description
Show slight sexual dimorphism. Male is about 10.7mm in length. Body elongate-oval and convex. A glossy black beetle with metallic sheen. Female is similar, but has a less convex pygidium and coarsely punctate head when comparing male.
References
Scarabaeinae
Beetles described in 2018
Endemic insects of Mexico
{{Scarabaeinae-stub