Australian Biological Resources Study

Australian Faunal Directory

Contact us

Species Onitis caffer Boheman, 1857

Museums

Museum list

Regional Maps

Species Onitis caffer Boheman, 1857

Onitis caffer Boheman, C.H. 1857. Insecta Caffraria annis 1838–1845 a J.A. Wahlberg collecta. Coleoptera. Holmiae : Fritze Vol. 2 3, 395 pp. [251].
Type data:
Holotype NHRM, southern Africa (as Caffraria).
Secondary source:
Ferreira, M.C. 1969. Os Escarabídeos de África (Sul do Sáara). I. Revue d'Entomologie de Moçambique 11: 1-1088 pls 1-288, Annexo 1-44 [435].

Distribution

States

New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia

Extra Distribution Information

Afrotropical Region.

Introduced from southern Africa.

Note that conversion of the original AFD map of states, drainage basins and coastal and oceanic zones to IBRA and IMCRA regions may have produced errors. The new maps will be reviewed and corrected as updates occur. The maps may not indicate the entire distribution. See further details below.

IBRA and IMCRA regions (map not available)

(map not available)

drainage basins and coastal and oceanic zones (map not available)

(map not available)

IBRA

NSW, Qld, WA: Avon Wheatbelt (AW), Brigalow Belt North (BBN), Brigalow Belt South (BBS), Central Mackay Coast (CMC), Cape York Peninsula (CYP), Desert Uplands (DEU), Einasleigh Uplands (EIU), Esperance Plains (ESP), Geraldton Sandplains (GS), Jarrah Forest (JF), Mallee (MAL), NSW North Coast (NNC), Sydney Basin (SB), South East Corner (SEC), South Eastern Queensland (SEQ), Swan Coastal Plain (SWA), Warren (WAR), Wet Tropics (WT), Yalgoo (YAL)

Original AFD Distribution Data

Australian Region

Australia
- New South Wales: SE coastal
- Queensland: NE coastal
- Western Australia: SW coastal

Ecological Descriptors

Adult: coprophagous, crepuscular, terrestrial, volant.

Larva: coprophagous.

Extra Ecological Information

Open areas, pastures, mainly cattle dung.

General References

Bornemissza, G.F. 1976. The Australian dung beetle project 1965–1975. Australian Meat Research Committee Review 1976: 1-30 (biological control)

Edwards, P.B. 1986. Phenology and field biology of the dung beetle Onitis caffer Boheman (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in southern Africa. Bulletin of Entomological Research 76: 433-446 (biology)

Ferreira, M.C. 1969. Os Escarabídeos de África (Sul do Sáara). I. Revue d'Entomologie de Moçambique 11: 1-1088 pls 1-288, Annexo 1-44 [435] (extralimital synonymy)

Ferreira, M.C. 1978. The genus Onitis F. of Africa south of the Sahara (Scarabaeidae, Coleoptera). Memoirs Nasionale Museum, Bloemfontein Bloemfontein 10: xvi 1-410 (taxonomy)

Halffter, G. & Edmonds, W.D. 1982. The Nesting Behaviour of Dung Beetles (Scarabaeinae). An Ecological and Evolutive Approach. Mexico : Instituto de Ecología 176 pp. (biology)

Houston, W.W.K. 1986. Exocrine glands in the forelegs of dung beetles in the genus Onitis F. (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). Journal of the Australian Entomological Society 25: 161-169 (morphology)

Oberholzer, J.J. 1958. A description of the third stage of Onitis caffer Bohem. (Copridae: Col.) with notes on its biology. South African Journal of Agricultural Science 1: 415-422 (larval description, biology)

History of changes

Note that this list may be incomplete for dates prior to September 2013.

Published	As part of group	Action Date	Action Type	Compiler(s)
		12-Feb-2010	(import)