Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
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.
A "scarabaeus" is also a now outdated term (OED 2) for an object in the form of a scarab beetle in art.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]
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.
The beetle family Scarabaeidae is made up of about 28 subfamilies containing more than 100 tribes. There are more than 2,500 genera and 35,000 described species in Scarabaeidae. There are more than 2,500 genera and 35,000 described species in Scarabaeidae.
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]
These beetles are typically between 15–35 mm (0.6–1.4 in) in length. The majority of species have bright shiny green upperparts, but metallic silver and gold are also common colors (species with all-silver or all-golden upperparts only occur in Central and South America), and a few can be metallic reddish.
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.
Only the adult beetle stage of Chrysina limbata is known; its immature stages are entirely unknown. [2] Like all beetles, scarabs go through a metamorphosis. The life cycle begins when the female lays an egg, which becomes a larva, then a c-shaped pupa, which becomes an adult. The scarab beetles lay their eggs in the ground or in decomposing ...