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Post by takahe on May 4, 2011 20:50:07 GMT -8
This is from Marquette Michigan. I think it's an Onthophagus species.
Bradleigh
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Post by thanos on May 5, 2011 2:44:48 GMT -8
Yes,it's a female Onthophagus. Maybe O.nuchicornis (it has worldwide distribution - occurs in Europe,Asia Minor,USA),but I'm not sure from the photo. A quite difficult group,with many species.Careful examination under stereoscope of the structure/horns of the pronotum is needed,in order to be as sure as possible. I identified under stereoscope a lot of small European Onthophagus species for my university thesis ,which I was collecting with pitfall traps.
Thanos
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Post by bandrow on May 5, 2011 9:29:39 GMT -8
Bradleigh,
Thanos is correct - it is Onthophagus nuchicornis. It is the only species we have in the East with that coloration and horn structure. You don't mention size, but it should be relatively large for Onthophagus in NA - around 6-8mm. It is mostly northern in distribution and usually found in sandy areas. As Thanos said, it is an introduced species now widely occurring in northern North America.
Cheers!
Bandrow
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Post by takahe on May 5, 2011 19:47:59 GMT -8
It is about 5 or 6 mm, and I was fairly sure it was nuchicornis. There is plenty of sand in the UP of Michigan, which is where it was found.
The picture shows a perfect specimen, but unfortunately it got broken immediately after I photographed it. Now two legs are missing.
Bradleigh
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Post by dungboy on May 26, 2011 11:14:29 GMT -8
Onthophagus nuchicornis would be my guess as well. Accidentally introduced on both east and west coasts of NA, and now has moved inland in Canada and the northern US.
It is among our most common dung beetle species in southern Alberta, where it also occurs frequently on clay soils. We collected 800+ in dung-baited pitfall traps last week.
NOTE: As of last fall, Onthophagus taurus is now known to occur in Michigan. Originally established in SE USA, it has since been moving north. If anyone is aware of any new state/provincial records (north or west of Michigan), please post this information!
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