We have observed that the females sometimes have a maroon blush. These beetles are otherwise glossy black with grooves on the wing covers. We keep these as we keep most dung beetles, in moderately moist soil with plenty of decaying vegetation upon which to feed. These beetles are unusually large Tenebrionids, the same large family as those beetles that produce the common mealworm, so care of these larva is refreshingly easy and they are quite prolific. These beetles were found along the Gila River bank in the Arizona desert.
Typical size is slightly less than an inch.
The coloration in person is just like that of a blueberry. We keep these in the conditions in which we keep most dung beetles, in moderately moist soil with plenty of decaying vegetation upon which to feed. When feigning death the legs are so rigid that these beetles may be stacked into geometric constructions which eventually 'wake up' and walk away. We recently found one of this species eating a katydid that had been run over by a car. Red Spot Assassin Prhadamanthus species Not a beetle but actually a true bug, these predators are quite beautiful as you can see and can be raised on a variety of insects.