About Onthophagus taurus

Onthophagus taurus, the taurus scarab, is a species of dung beetle in the genus Onthophagus and the family Scarabaeidae. Also known as the bull-headed dung beetle, it is a species that specializes in cattle dung and is widely utilized to maintain clean pastures, making it agriculturally valuable. These beetles are typically 8–10 millimetres (0.31–0.39 in) in size. The males of this species exhibit distinct characteristics: large "major" males possess long, sweeping, curved horns resembling those of a longhorn bull, while small "minor" males have tiny horns that project upward from the back of their heads. Females, on the other hand, lack horns. These small beetles are oval shaped, the color is usually black or reddish brown. Sometimes the pronotum has a weak metallic sheen.

Picture credit: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons (Image source) Taxonomy ID 166361

(Text from Wikipedia.)

More information General information about this species can be found in Wikipedia

Taxonomy ID 166361

Data source Indiana University

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