Aphodius fimetarius (introduced)

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Picture of a dung beetle top-down and side-on with a brown/ red wing covering and black head. Labels read: Aphodius fimetarius (female) Black head and pronotum Red/brown elytra Black triangular scutellum On females the front of the pronotum is smooth and rounded (males have a distinct indentation). This is the key distinguishing feature between sexes Both sexes have distinctive yellow patches on the sides of the pronotumPicture of a dung beetle top-down and side-on with a brown/ red wing covering and black head. Labels read: Aphodius fimetarius (male) Black head and pronotum Red/brown elytra Black triangular scutellum Males have a distinctive indentation at the front of the pronotum that differentiates them from females Both sexes have distinctive yellow patches on the sides of the pronotum

Size

7–9 mm

Colour

Two-toned beetle with a black head and pronotum and red-brown wing coverings.

Horns

None

Similar species

Aphodius lividus is similar but smaller and has brown wing coverings rather than the brighter red-brown of A. fimetarius.

Flight time

Day

Active seasons

Active throughout the year with peaks in late spring and early autumn.

Distribution in Australia

Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia, New South Wales, Tasmania, Queensland

Map of Australia showing the distribution of A fimetarius along the east coast and into southern south Australia, Tasmania and southern WA

South West Prime Lamb Group (SWPLG) demonstrations

Aphodius fimetarius has been commonly found on SWPLG properties. A. fimetarius is dung ‘dweller’, unlike the other dung beetles found on SWPLG farms which are ‘tunnellers’.

Acknowledgements and references

Page last updated: 04 Aug 2024