Typhaeus typhoeus

Typhaeus typhoeus (minotaur beetle) is a species of earth-boring dung beetles native to Europe.[2][3] The beetles feed on faeces of herbivorous animals, preferably rabbits and small ruminants such as sheep and deer. They inhabit sandy soils in light pine forests or sandy heaths. The animals have now become rare and are protected in Germany. The adult beetles are rarely found. The open, circular, approximately 1 cm large entrances of the housing and brood chambers, which are found on vegetation-free soil sites, are much more striking.

brood chamber entrance

Typhaeus typhoeus
Typhaeus typhoeus male
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Coleoptera
Suborder:
Polyphaga
Family:
Geotrupidae
Genus:
Typhaeus
Species:
T. typhoeus
Binomial name
Typhaeus typhoeus
(Linnaeus, 1758) [1]

Etymology

It is named after the Typhon a giant of Greek mythology.

gollark: ++exec```haskellmain = concatMap show [1..]```
gollark: Haskell lies not.
gollark: ++exec```haskellmain = print [1..]```
gollark: ++exec```testadmin-override-4c414d15ce3ec1e0a8c83538aa964692```
gollark: ++exec```luasleep(2)print "please say typing"```

References
  1. Linnaeus C. (1758). Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Editio Decima, Reformata. Laurentii Salvii, Stockholm
  2. Fauna Europaea
  3. Norman H. Joy, , 1932 A Practical Handbook of British Beetles


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