Insect or Invertebrates Identification

[Klipspringer]

It is in the Scarabaeidae family!

but not a "dung beetle"

and it is a cool sighting, not one of the commonly found species

[nan]

Armoured Darkling Beetle ???

or

like this one

Beetle

[ExFmem]

Sarophorus sp. or Pedaria sp.

[Klipspringer]

Not a darkling beetle, nan and not a dung beetle (subfamily Scarabaeinae), ExFmem

It does not have the tools for dung processing in front! Small head!

A dung beetle ((Scarabaeinae) looks like this




Lamellate antennae (G) are typical for scarabaeid beetles (Scarabaeidae).

Tenebrionidae (darkling beetles or toktockies) don't have lamellate antennae

[Klipspringer]

or

like this one

IMGL5750 (1024x709).jpg

nan, where was this beetle?

[Klipspringer]

Common Subfamilies of Scarabaeidae in SA

Aphodiinae Small Dung Beetles
Cetoniinae Chafers
Dynastinae Rhinoceros Beetles
Melolonthinae June Beetles
Rutelinae Shining Leaf Chafers
Scarabaeinae Dung Beetles

[Richprins]

A chafer beetle then?

[Klipspringer]

A chafer beetle then?

and now look at the antennae - what is odd looking there?

[Lisbeth]

I have looked up the chafer beetles, but there were no black ones

Color is the last character to consider for insect identification.

You can not find this beetle easily it is rarely recorded, so we go the old school ID route


Check the antennae, how do they look

[nan]

or

like this one

IMGL5750 (1024x709).jpg

nan, where was this beetle?

in the Kgalagadi, the 6.2.2017