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Coprini

Coprini
Copris sacontala Redtenbacher, 1848 male (4134135516).jpg
Male Copris sacontala
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Scarabaeidae
Subfamily: Scarabaeinae
Tribe: Coprini
Kolbe, 1805

Coprini is a tribe of scarab beetles, in the dung beetle subfamily (Scarabaeinae). Scholtz et al. describe them as tunnellers that are shiny black, of moderate to large size (9-30 mm long) and with a strongly convex shape. They also, however state that the grouping based on these characteristics has little phylogenetic validity, and the placement of several genera in the Canthonini, Coprini and Dichotomiini is likely to change.

This tribe comprises about 400 species in ten genera:

Most species are nocturnal. They are predominantly coprophagous, but some are necrophagous. Dung is rapidly buried in shallow tunnels and then used for nest construction in deeper tunnels.


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Wikipedia

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