Tribe Aphodiini

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Introduction

The cosmopolitan Aphodiini contains mostly coprophagous species as well as a few that are saprophagous (Rakovic 1987). The biology of the majority of Australian species is unknown. Adults of the Australian species have been taken in various types of dung, carrion, traps and at light. The accidentally introduced species, Aphodius fimetarius (Linnaeus), A. granarius (Linnaeus) and A. lividus (Olivier), are often common in dung. Gordon (1983) discussed the status in north America of the first two of these introduced species. The adults of Acrossidius tasmaniae Hope are attracted to dung. Two Australian species, Acrossidius tasmaniae Hope and Acrossidius pseudotasmaniae Given, are phytophagous in the larval stages. The larvae construct vertical burrows from which they emerge at night to harvest leaves which they drag into their tunnels for consumption (Carne 1950, 1957; Lawrence & Britton 1991).

General References

Carne, P.B. 1950. The morphology of the immature stages of Aphodius howitti Hope (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Aphodiinae). Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 75: 158-166

Carne, P.B. 1957. An ecological study of the pasture scarab Aphodius howitti Hope. Australian Journal of Zoology 4: 259-314

Gordon, R.D. 1983. Studies on the genus Aphodius of the United States and Canada (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). VII. Food and habitat; distribution; key to eastern species. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 85: 633-652

Lawrence, J.F. & Britton, E.B. 1991. Chapter 35. Coleoptera (Beetles). pp. 543-683 in Division of Entomology, CSIRO (ed.). The Insects of Australia. Ithaca, New York : Cornell University Press Vol. 2.

Rakovic, M. 1987. A revision of the genus Odochilus Harold with remarks on the tribal classification of the subfamily Aphodiinae (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae). Acta Entomologica Bohemoslovaca 84: 27-44

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