Scarabaeus

Scarabaeus
The genus Scarabaeus consists of a number of Afro-Eurasian dung beetle species, including the "sacred scarab beetle", Scarabaeus sacer and is the namesake of the tribe Scarabaeini, the family Scarabaeidae, the superfamily Scarabaeoidea and the infraorder Scarabaeiformia. These beetles feed exclusively on dung, which they accomplish by rolling a piece of dung some distance from where it was deposited, and burying it in order to feed on it underground. They also prepare food for their larvae by excavating an underground chamber, and filling it with balls that have eggs laid in them. The growing larva feeds upon the dung ball, pupates, and eventually emerges as an adult.
A "scarabaeus" is also a now outdated term (OED 2) for an object in the form of a scarab beetle in art. The scarab was a popular form of amulet in Ancient Egypt, and in ancient Greek art engraved gems were often carved as scarabs on the rest of the stone behind the main flattish face, which was used for sealing documents.
A creature identified as Scarabaeus appears in "The Gold-Bug" by Edgar Allan Poe, and a poem entitled "Scarabæus sisyphus" was created by Mathilde Blind.
Gallery
Subgenera and species
The following subgenera are accepted in BioLib:
Ateuchetus Bedel, 1892
Escarabaeus Zídek & Pokorny, 2011
Kheper Janssens, 1940
Mnematidium Ritsema, 1888
Pachylosoma Zídek & Pokorný, 2008
Pachysoma MacLeay, 1821
Scarabaeolus Balthasar, 1965
Scarabaeus Linnaeus, 1758
incertae sedis
All species
Scarabaeus acuticollis
Scarabaeus aegyptiacus
Scarabaeus aegyptiorum
Scarabaeus aeratus
Scarabaeus aesculapius
Scarabaeus alienus
Scarabaeus ambiguus
Scarabaeus anderseni
Scarabaeus andreaei
Scarabaeus andrewesi
Scarabaeus armeniacus
Scarabaeus asceticus
Scarabaeus babori
Scarabaeus bannuensis
Scarabaeus basuto
Scarabaeus bennigseni
Scarabaeus bohemani
Scarabaeus bonellii
Scarabaeus bornemizzai
Scarabaeus brahminus
Scarabaeus caffer
Scarabaeus canaliculatus
Scarabaeus cancer
Scarabaeus carinatus
Scarabaeus catenatus
Scarabaeus cicatricosus
Scarabaeus clanceyi
Scarabaeus clericus
Scarabaeus cognatus
Scarabaeus confusus
Scarabaeus convexus
Scarabaeus cristatus
Scarabaeus cupreus
Scarabaeus cuvieri
Scarabaeus damarensis
Scarabaeus deludens
Scarabaeus denticollis
Scarabaeus devotus
Scarabaeus dioscoridis
Scarabaeus ebenus
Scarabaeus endroedyi
Scarabaeus erichsoni
Scarabaeus festivus
Scarabaeus fitzsimonsi
Scarabaeus flavicornis
Scarabaeus fraterculus
Scarabaeus fritschi
Scarabaeus funebris
Scarabaeus furcatus
Scarabaeus galenus
Scarabaeus gangeticus
Scarabaeus gariepinus
Scarabaeus gilleti
Scarabaeus glentoni
Scarabaeus goryi
Scarabaeus gracai
Scarabaeus heqvisti
Scarabaeus hippocrates
Scarabaeus hottentorum
Scarabaeus inoportunus
Scarabaeus inquisitus
Scarabaeus intermedius
Scarabaeus interstitialis
Scarabaeus intricatus
Scarabaeus irakensis
Scarabaeus isidis
Scarabaeus jalof
Scarabaeus janssensi
Scarabaeus karlwerneri
Scarabaeus karrooensis
Scarabaeus knobeli
Scarabaeus kochi
Scarabaeus kwiluensis
Scarabaeus laevifrons
Scarabaeus laevistriatus
Scarabaeus lamarcki
Scarabaeus laticollis
Scarabaeus licitus
Scarabaeus lucidulus
Scarabaeus multidentatus
Scarabaeus namibicus
Scarabaeus natalensis
Scarabaeus nigroaeneus
Scarabaeus nitidicollis
Scarabaeus obsoletepunctatus
Scarabaeus opacipennis
Scarabaeus pabulator
Scarabaeus paganus
Scarabaeus palemo
Scarabaeus parvulus
Scarabaeus piliventris
Scarabaeus pius
Scarabaeus planifrons
Scarabaeus platynotus
Scarabaeus plausibilis
Scarabaeus poggei
Scarabaeus porosus
Scarabaeus proboscideus
Scarabaeus prodigiosus
Scarabaeus puncticollis
Scarabaeus pustulosus
Scarabaeus radama
Scarabaeus ritchiei
Scarabaeus rixosus
Scarabaeus rodriguesi
Scarabaeus rotundigenus
Scarabaeus rubripennis
Scarabaeus rugosus
Scarabaeus rusticus
Scarabaeus sacer
Scarabaeus sanctus
Scarabaeus satyrus
Scarabaeus savignyi
Scarabaeus schinzi
Scarabaeus scholtzi
Scarabaeus schulzeae
Scarabaeus semipunctatus
Scarabaeus sennaariensis
Scarabaeus sevoistra
Scarabaeus silenus
Scarabaeus spretus
Scarabaeus striatus
Scarabaeus subaeneus
Scarabaeus sulcipennis
Scarabaeus suri
Scarabaeus tonckeri
Scarabaeus transcaspicus
Scarabaeus typhon
Scarabaeus valeflorae
Scarabaeus vanderkelleni
Scarabaeus vansoni
Scarabaeus variolosus
Scarabaeus venerabilis
Scarabaeus westwoodi
Scarabaeus vethi
Scarabaeus viator
Scarabaeus vicinus
Scarabaeus viettei
Scarabaeus wilsoni
Scarabaeus winkleri
Scarabaeus xavieri
Scarabaeus zagrosensis
Scarabaeus zambezianus
Scarabaeus zurstrasseni
References
External links
Scarabaeinae
Scarabaeidae genera