Sulcophanaeus


Sulcophanaeus is a genus of dung beetles belonging to the family Scarabaeidae. Most species in this genus are from tropical and subtropical South America, but a few are found in Central America and Mexico, and S. carnifex is from Jamaica. Sulcophanaeus are mostly coprophagous, but some are also necrophagous. They are paracoprids, meaning that adults dig tunnels into the soil under the food source and move parts of the food source to a nest chamber where the eggs are laid, and their activity pattern varies depending on species.

Species

Sulcophanaeus comprises five species groups and about 15 valid species:Sulcophanaeus actaeon Sulcophanaeus auricollis Sulcophanaeus batesi Sulcophanaeus carnifex Sulcophanaeus chryseicollis Sulcophanaeus columbi Sulcophanaeus faunus Sulcophanaeus imperator Sulcophanaeus leander Sulcophanaeus menelas Sulcophanaeus miyashitai Arnaud, 2002Sulcophanaeus noctis Sulcophanaeus rhadamanthus Sulcophanaeus steinheili

Description

Adult Sulcophanaeus are generally long with some variations in exact size range depending on species, but the common Amazonian S. faunus usually is and sometimes even larger. They are short and powerful dung beetles. This genus includes some particularly colorful species with shiny, metallic colors, but there are also Sulcophanaeus species that are all black or very dark brown. Especially the males tend to have a long curved horn on the top of the head and may also have outgrowths of various kinds on the pronotum. The pronotum is much broader than long. The elytra are short and broad with deep longitudinal wrinkles.