Saphobius facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Saphobius
Saphobius inflatipes (internal sac)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Coleoptera
Suborder:	Polyphaga
Superfamily:	Scarabaeoidea
Family:	Scarabaeidae
Subfamily:	Scarabaeinae
Tribe:	Deltochilini
Genus:	Saphobius

Saphobius is a special group of dung beetles. They belong to a family of beetles called Scarabaeinae. These beetles are found only in New Zealand, which means they are endemic there. The most common type is Saphobius edwardsi.

Saphobius beetles are quite small. Unlike many other dung beetles, they cannot fly. They live in forests and are active at night, which is unusual for dung beetles.

Dung beetles usually eat the droppings (poop) of mammals. However, before humans settled in New Zealand, there were almost no land mammals there, except for three types of bats. This is probably why New Zealand has fewer kinds of dung beetles compared to other places around the world.

Scientists have studied what Saphobius beetles like to eat. They found that these beetles are very attracted to things like dead chickens and squid. This is a bit different from what most dung beetles eat! It might be because New Zealand has always had many birds, especially seabirds. So, these beetles might have learned to eat things related to birds, like their leftovers or even dead birds.

Types of Saphobius Beetles

The New Zealand Organisms Register lists these different kinds of Saphobius beetles:

• Saphobius brouni (Paulian, 1935)
• Saphobius curvipes (Broun, 1893)
• Saphobius edwardsi (Sharp, 1873)
• Saphobius fulvipes (Broun, 1893)
• Saphobius fuscus (Broun, 1893)
• Saphobius inflatipes (Broun, 1893)
• Saphobius laticollis (Broun, 1914)
• Saphobius lepidus (Broun, 1912)
• Saphobius lesnei (Paulian, 1935)
• Saphobius nitidulus (Broun, 1880)
• Saphobius setosus (Sharp, 1886)
• Saphobius squamulosus (Broun, 1886)
• Saphobius tibialis (Broun, 1895)
• Saphobius wakefieldi (Sharp, 1877)