This dung beetle (Phanaues spp.) is from my pinned collection. The colors are not as vibrant here as they are when the beetle is alive, but the head is yellow, the dorsal thorax is coppery metallic, and the sides of the body green. Males have a horn (aka clypeus). Males and females work in pairs and dig underneath dung to bury portions of it under the ground. Females lay their eggs in the dung and the larvae feed on it when they hatch.

There are a lot of things that affect dung patch preference in these beetles, one being the moisture content of the pile. Some like it juicy…

Dung beetles are not the only insects attracted to feces. Flies use dung for protein (which is needed for reproduction) and then lay their eggs in the dung pats as well. Where you find lots of dung pats you find lots of, well, livestock. Livestock often have parasitic nematodes that, as part of their lifecycle, are excreted out with the feces. The infective stage of the nematode is then in the soil/grass where the livestock is feeding…and as a result the ruminant-ary beasts pick back up the parasitic worms and introduce it back into their system.

Dung beetles have actually been introduced in different places (such as Texas, Hawaii, Australia, and the like) as a means of biological control to clean up and dispose of excess dung pats. The beetles bury the pats and the larvae that hatch feed on the dung, thereby decreasing the amount of flies and parasites from the landscape.

Their tunneling behavior is also good for soil aeration and increased nutrient cycling.

If you’d like to read a little more detail about dung beetle benefits to a pasture ecosystem check out this link from the National Agricultural Sustainable Information Service.

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