Euoniticellus intermedius

Euoniticellus intermedius
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Scarabaeidae
Genus: Euoniticellus
Species:
E. intermedius
Binomial name
Euoniticellus intermedius
(Reiche, 1849)

Euoniticellus intermedius (also known as the Northern Sandy Dung Beetle) is a species of dung beetle in the family Scarabaeidae.[1][2] E. intermedius is native to Southeastern Africa but has spread to the United States, Mexico, and Australia.[3] E. intermedius acts as an important agricultural agent due to its improvement of soil quality and removal of parasitic pests.[3]

Adults of the species are brown in color and exhibit sexual dimorphism. Males can be identifying by their blunt, curved horns, which are used to fight with other males for female mates.[4]

These beetles spend their entire lives in dung pads. They are of the tunneling variety of dung beetles, which bring dung into their tunnels as opposed to living in the dung or rolling the dung away.[5]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference itis was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Pokhrel, M. R.; Cairns, S. C.; Andrew, N. R. (2020). "Dung beetle species introductions: when an ecosystem service provider transforms into an invasive species". PeerJ. 8: e9872. doi:10.7717/peerj.9872. PMC 7531351. PMID 33062417.
  3. ^ Blume, R. R. (1984). "Euoniticellus intermedius (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae): Description of Adults and Immatures and Biology of Adults". Oxford Academic.
  4. ^ Hull, R.; Alaouna, M.; Khanyile, L.; Byrne, M.; Ntwasa, M. (2013). "Lifestyle and Host Defense Mechanisms of the Dung Beetle, Euoniticellus intermedius: The Toll Signaling Pathway". Journal of Insect Science. 13 (108): 108. doi:10.1673/031.013.10801. PMC 4011371. PMID 24735102.