Today, we want to address the topic of Scarabaeidae, since this is a topic that has aroused great interest in today's society. Scarabaeidae is a topic that has been present throughout history, and has been the subject of analysis and debate in numerous areas. In this article, we propose to explore in depth the various dimensions of Scarabaeidae, with the aim of providing our readers with a comprehensive and enriching vision of this topic. From its origins to its relevance today, including its implications in different aspects of daily life, we aim to offer a broad and complete perspective that allows us to better understand the importance and impact of Scarabaeidae in our society.
Scarab beetle | |
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Central European scarab beetles with some anatomical details. Edmund Reitter's Fauna Germanica, 1908 | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Coleoptera |
Suborder: | Polyphaga |
Infraorder: | Scarabaeiformia |
Superfamily: | Scarabaeoidea |
Family: | Scarabaeidae Latreille, 1802 |
Subfamilies | |
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The family Scarabaeidae, as currently defined, consists of over 35,000 species of beetles worldwide; they are often called scarabs or scarab beetles. The classification of this family has undergone significant change in recent years. Several groups formerly treated as subfamilies have been elevated to family rank (e.g., Bolboceratidae, Geotrupidae, Glaresidae, Glaphyridae, Hybosoridae, Ochodaeidae, and Pleocomidae), and some reduced to lower ranks. The subfamilies listed in this article are in accordance with those in Catalog of Life (2023).
Scarabs are stout-bodied beetles, many with bright metallic colours, measuring between 1.5 and 160 millimetres (0.059 and 6.3 in). They have distinctive, clubbed antennae composed of plates called lamellae that can be compressed into a ball or fanned out like leaves to sense odours. Many species are fossorial, with legs adapted for digging. In some groups males (and sometimes females) have prominent horns on the head and/or pronotum to fight over mates or resources. The largest fossil scarabaeid was Oryctoantiquus borealis with a length of 50 millimetres (2.0 in).
The C-shaped larvae, called grubs, are pale yellow or white. Most adult beetles are nocturnal, although the flower chafers (Cetoniinae) and many leaf chafers (Rutelinae) are active during the day. The grubs mostly live underground or under debris, so are not exposed to sunlight. Many scarabs are scavengers that recycle dung, carrion, or decaying plant material. Others, such as the Japanese beetle, are plant-eaters, wreaking havoc on various crops and vegetation.
Some of the well-known beetles from the Scarabaeidae are Japanese beetles, dung beetles, June beetles, rose chafers (Australian, European, and North American), rhinoceros beetles, Hercules beetles and Goliath beetles.
Several members of this family have structurally coloured shells which act as left-handed circular polarisers; this was the first-discovered example of circular polarization in nature.
In Ancient Egypt, the dung beetle now known as Scarabaeus sacer (formerly Ateuchus sacer) was revered as sacred. Egyptian amulets representing the sacred scarab beetles were traded throughout the Mediterranean world.