Series Scarabaeiformia Crowson 1960, Superfamily Scarabaeoidea Latreille 1802
The superfamily Scarabaeoidea is a large, diverse, cosmopolitan group of beetles. Scarabaeoids are adapted to most habitats, and they are fungivores, herbivores, necrophages, coprophages, saprophages, and some are carnivores. They are widely distributed, even living in the Arctic in animal burrows....
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| Format: | Text |
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DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln
2002
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| Online Access: | https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/entomologypapers/50 https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/context/entomologypapers/article/1049/viewcontent/AmBeet_Intro.pdf |
| Summary: | The superfamily Scarabaeoidea is a large, diverse, cosmopolitan group of beetles. Scarabaeoids are adapted to most habitats, and they are fungivores, herbivores, necrophages, coprophages, saprophages, and some are carnivores. They are widely distributed, even living in the Arctic in animal burrows. Some scarabs exhibit parental care and sociality. Some are myrmecophilous, termitophilous, or ectoparasitic. Many possess extravagant horns, others are able to roll into a compact ball, and still others are highly armored for inquiline life. Some are agricultural pests that may destroy crops while others are used in the biological control of dung and dung flies. Scarabaeoids are popular beetles due to their large size, bright colors, and interesting natural histories. Early Egyptians revered the scarab as a god, Jean Henri Fabre studied their behavior, and Charles Darwin used observations of scarabs in his theory of sexual selection. |
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