Scarabaeidae





































Scarab beetle

Reitter-1908 table74.jpg
Central European scarab beetles
with some anatomical details. Edmund Reitter's Fauna Germanica, 1908

Scientific classification edit
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Euarthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Coleoptera
Superfamily:
Scarabaeoidea
Family:
Scarabaeidae
Latreille, 1802

Subfamilies[1]



  • Aclopinae Blanchard, 1850


  • Aegialiinae Laporte, 1840


  • Allidiostomatinae Arrow, 1940


  • Aphodiinae Leach, 1815


  • Aulonocneminae Janssens, 1946


  • Cetoniinae Leach, 1815


  • Chironinae Blanchard, 1845


  • Dynamopodinae Arrow, 1911


  • Dynastinae MacLeay, 1819


  • Eremazinae Iablokoff-Khnzorian, 1977


  • Melolonthinae Leach, 1819


  • Orphninae Erichson, 1847


  • Phaenomeridinae Erichson, 1847


  • Rutelinae MacLeay, 1819


  • Scarabaeinae Latreille, 1802


  • Termitotroginae Wasmann, 1918

  • † Cretoscarabaeinae Nikolajev, 1995

  • † Lithoscarabaeinae Nikolajev, 1992

  • † Prototroginae Nikolajev, 2000



The family Scarabaeidae as currently defined consists of over 30,000 species of beetles worldwide, often called scarabs or scarab beetles. The classification of this family has undergone significant change in recent years. Several subfamilies have been elevated to family rank (e.g., Pleocomidae, Glaresidae, Glaphyridae, Ochodaeidae, and Geotrupidae), and some reduced to lower ranks. The subfamilies listed in this article are in accordance with those in Bouchard (2011).[1]




Contents






  • 1 Description


  • 2 Ancient Egypt


  • 3 See also


  • 4 References


  • 5 Further reading


  • 6 External links





Description




Sacred scarab in a cartouche of Thutmosis III from Karnak temple of Amun-Ra, Egypt


Scarabs are stout-bodied beetles, many with bright metallic colours, measuring between 1.5 and 160 mm. They have distinctive, clubbed antennae composed of plates called lamellae that can be compressed into a ball or fanned out like leaves to sense odours. The front legs of many species are broad and adapted for digging. In some groups males (and sometimes females) have prominent horns on the head and/or pronotum to fight over mates or resources.[2]




A scarab beetle grub from Australia.


The C-shaped larvae, called grubs, are pale yellow or white. Most adult beetles are nocturnal, although the flower chafers (Cetoniinae) and many leaf chafers (Rutelinae) are active during the day. The grubs mostly live underground or under debris, so are not exposed to sunlight. Many scarabs are scavengers that recycle dung, carrion, or decaying plant material.[3] Others, such as the Japanese beetle, are plant-eaters.


Some of the well-known beetles from the Scarabaeidae are Japanese beetles, dung beetles, June beetles, rose chafers (Australian, European, and North American), rhinoceros beetles, Hercules beetles and Goliath beetles.


Several members of this family have structurally coloured shells which act as left-handed circular polarisers; this was the first-discovered example of circular polarization in nature.[4]



Ancient Egypt


In Ancient Egypt, the dung beetle now known as Scarabaeus sacer (formerly Ateuchus sacer) was revered as sacred. Egyptian amulets representing the sacred scarab beetles were traded throughout the Mediterranean world.[2]



See also



  • List of genera of Scarabaeidae

  • Scarab artifact

  • Grapevine beetle


  • Dung beetle - Scarabaeidae dung beetles play an important role in temperate and tropical environments



References





  1. ^ ab
    Bouchard, Patrice; Bousquet, Yves; Davies, Anthony E.; Alonso-Zarazaga, Miguel A.; et al. (2011). "Family-group names in Coleoptera (Insecta)". Zookeys. Pensoft Publishers. 88 (88). doi:10.3897/zookeys.88.807. ISSN 1313-2989..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}



  2. ^ ab bugguide.net Family Scarabaeidae - Scarab Beetles


  3. ^ Marcos Paulo Gomes Gonçalves (2017). "Relação Entre Tempo e Besouros em Mata de Cocal" [Relationship Between Meteorological Conditions and Beetles in Mata de Cocal] (in Portuguese). doi:10.1590/0102-7786324003.


  4. ^ A. A. Michelson (1911). "On metallic colourings in birds and insects". Philosophical Magazine. 21: 554–567. doi:10.1080/14786440408637061.




Further reading


.mw-parser-output .refbegin{font-size:90%;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .refbegin-hanging-indents>ul{list-style-type:none;margin-left:0}.mw-parser-output .refbegin-hanging-indents>ul>li,.mw-parser-output .refbegin-hanging-indents>dl>dd{margin-left:0;padding-left:3.2em;text-indent:-3.2em;list-style:none}.mw-parser-output .refbegin-100{font-size:100%}

  • RU Ehlers. Current and Future Use of Nematodes in Biocontrol: Practice and Commercial Aspects with Regard to Regulatory Policy Issues. Biocontrol Science and Technology Volume 6, Issue 3, 1996.



External links






  • Flickr Images on Flickr


  • Scarabaeidae breeding site Photos of various Cetonidae, Dynastidae, Euchiridae, Lucanidae and Trichinae]

  • Family SCARABAEIDAE

  • June Beetles, Family: Scarabaeidae - Diagnostic photographs

  • Scarab Beetle Research, Databases, and Links from Scarab Central at University of Nebraska State Museum


  • Bibliography of literature published on scarab beetles since 1 January 2001 (worldwide coverage; through 2005)


  • UNL Generic Guide to New World Scarabaeidae


  • Heredity Scientific paper on scarab horns


  • Data related to Scarabaeidae at Wikispecies


  • Media related to Scarabaeidae at Wikimedia Commons












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