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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 and many leaf chafers are active during the day. The grubs mostly live underground or under debris, so are not exposed to sunlight.
In ancient Egypt, the Scarab Beetle was a highly significant symbolic representation of the divine manifestation of the morning sun. The Egyptian god Khepri was believed to roll the sun across the sky each day at daybreak. In a similar fashion, some beetles of the family Scarabaeidae use their legs to roll dung
Scarabaeus sacer is the most famous of the scarab beetles. [14] To the Ancient Egyptians, S. sacer was a symbol of Khepri, the early morning manifestation of the sun god Ra, from an analogy between the beetle's behaviour of rolling a ball of dung across the ground and Khepri's task of rolling the sun across the sky. [15]
This superfamily includes some of the largest beetles extant today, including rhinoceros beetles, (Dynastinae), the Hercules beetle (Dynastes hercules) and Goliath beetles (Goliathus sp.). The oldest confirmed member of the group is the extinct genus Alloioscarabaeus from the Middle Jurassic period Jiulongshan Formation of Inner Mongolia , China.
A "scarabaeus" is also a now outdated term (OED 2) for an object in the form of a scarab beetle in art.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, [3] 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. [4]
There are dung beetle species of various colors and sizes, and some functional traits such as body mass (or biomass) and leg length can have high levels of variability. [2] All the species belong to the superfamily Scarabaeoidea, most of them to the subfamilies Scarabaeinae and Aphodiinae of the family Scarabaeidae (scarab beetles).
The scarab beetle subfamily Scarabaeinae consists of species collectively called true dung beetles (there are also dung beetles in other subfamilies and families). Most of the beetles of this subfamily feed exclusively on dung. However, some may feed on decomposing matter including carrion, decaying fruits and fungi.
Phanaeus vindex, also known as a rainbow scarab (like other members in its genus [1]), is a North American species of true dung beetle in the family Scarabaeidae. It is found in eastern and central United States ( Florida and New England to Arizona and Wyoming ) and northern Mexico .