The genus ''Scarabaeus'' consists of a number of

Old World The "Old World" is a term for Afro-Eurasia that originated in Europe , after Europeans became aware of the existence of the Americas. It is used to contrast the continents of Africa, Europe, and Asia, which were previously thought of by th ...

dung beetle Dung beetles are beetles that feed on feces. Some species of dung beetles can bury dung 250 times their own mass in one night. Many dung beetles, known as ''rollers'', roll dung into round balls, which are used as a food source or breeding cha ...

species, including the "sacred scarab beetle", ''

Scarabaeus sacer ''Scarabaeus sacer'', common name sacred scarab, is the type species of dung beetles in its genus and the family Scarabaeidae. Taxonomy ''Scarabaeus sacer'' was described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae'', the st ...

'' and typical of the tribe

Scarabaeini The ScarabaeiniLatreille PA (1802) ''Histoire naturelle, générale et particulière des Crustacés et des Insectes. Tome 3.'' F. Dufart, Paris. are a tribe of old-world dung beetle genera, erected by Pierre André Latreille. Genera ''BioLib' ...

. These beetles feed exclusively on

dung Dung most often refers to animal feces. Dung may also refer to: Science and technology * Dry animal dung fuel * Manure * Cow dung * Coprolite, fossilized feces * Dung beetle Art * Mundungus Fletcher or "Dung", a character in the Harry Potter n ...

, which they accomplish by rolling a piece of dung some distance from where it was deposited, and burying it in order to feed on it underground. They also prepare food for their larvae by excavating an underground chamber, and filling it with balls that have eggs laid in them. The growing

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. Th ...

feeds upon the dung ball,

pupa A pupa ( la, pupa, "doll"; plural: ''pupae'') is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their ...

tes, and eventually emerges as an adult. A "scarabaeus" is also a now outdated term (

OED The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the first and foundational historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical development of the English language, providing a com ...

2) for an object in the form of a scarab beetle in art. The scarab was a popular form of

amulet An amulet, also known as a good luck charm or phylactery, is an object believed to confer protection upon its possessor. The word "amulet" comes from the Latin word amuletum, which Pliny's ''Natural History'' describes as "an object that protect ...

in Ancient Egypt, and in

ancient Greek art Ancient Greek art stands out among that of other ancient cultures for its development of naturalistic but idealized depictions of the human body, in which largely nude male figures were generally the focus of innovation. The rate of stylistic d ...

engraved gem An engraved gem, frequently referred to as an intaglio, is a small and usually semi-precious gemstone that has been carved, in the Western tradition normally with images or inscriptions only on one face. The engraving of gemstones was a major l ...

s were often carved as scarabs on the rest of the stone behind the main flattish face, which was used for sealing documents. A creature identified as Scarabaeus appears in "

The Gold-Bug "The Gold-Bug" is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe published in 1843. The plot follows William Legrand, who was bitten by a gold-colored bug. His servant Jupiter fears that Legrand is going insane and goes to Legrand's friend, an ...

" by

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wide ...

, and a poem entitled "Scarabæus sisyphus" was created by

Mathilde Blind Mathilde Blind (born Mathilda Cohen; 21 March 1841 in Mannheim, Germany – 26 November 1896, in London), was a German-born English poet, fiction writer, biographer, essayist and critic. In the early 1870s she emerged as a pioneering female aest ...

Gallery

File:Scarabaeus ambiguus Boheman, 1857 (2964358216).jpg, ''

Scarabaeus ambiguus ''Scarabaeus ambiguus'' is a species of Old World dung beetles. This beetle rolls up a ball of dung before laying eggs on it and burying it. Description ''Scarabaeus ambiguus'' is a large black species of scarab beetle with an adult length of ab ...

'' File:Scarabaeus caffer 000360-1.jpg, ''

Scarabaeus caffer The genus ''Scarabaeus'' consists of a number of Old World dung beetle species, including the "sacred scarab beetle", ''Scarabaeus sacer'' and typical of the tribe Scarabaeini. These beetles feed exclusively on dung, which they accomplish by ro ...

'' File:Scarabaeus catenatus Gerstaecker, 1871 (3029787698) (2).jpg, ''

Scarabaeus catenatus The genus ''Scarabaeus'' consists of a number of Old World dung beetle species, including the "sacred scarab beetle", ''Scarabaeus sacer'' and typical of the tribe Scarabaeini. These beetles feed exclusively on dung, which they accomplish by rol ...

'' File:Scarabaeus geminogalenus 000716-1.jpg, ''

Scarabaeus geminogalenus The genus ''Scarabaeus'' consists of a number of Old World dung beetle species, including the "sacred scarab beetle", ''Scarabaeus sacer'' and typical of the tribe Scarabaeini. These beetles feed exclusively on dung, which they accomplish by rol ...

'' File:Scarabaeus jalof Castelnau, 1840 (3304536832) (2).jpg, ''

Scarabaeus jalof The genus ''Scarabaeus'' consists of a number of Old World dung beetle species, including the "sacred scarab beetle", ''Scarabaeus sacer'' and typical of the tribe Scarabaeini. These beetles feed exclusively on dung, which they accomplish by rol ...

'' File:Scarabaeus nitidicollis Lansberge, 1882 (3456710016).jpg, ''

Scarabaeus nitidicollis The genus ''Scarabaeus'' consists of a number of Old World dung beetle species, including the "sacred scarab beetle", ''Scarabaeus sacer'' and typical of the tribe Scarabaeini. These beetles feed exclusively on dung, which they accomplish by rol ...

'' File:Scarabaeus satyrus (Boheman, 1860) (3847992837) (2).jpg, ''

Scarabaeus satyrus ''Scarabaeus satyrus'' is one of the Old World dung beetle species. These beetles roll a ball of dung for some distance from where it was deposited, and bury it, excavating an underground chamber to house it. An egg is then laid in the ball, the ...

'' File:Soutpansberg Dung Beetle (Scarabaeus schulzeae).jpg, ''

Scarabaeus schulzeae The genus ''Scarabaeus'' consists of a number of Old World dung beetle species, including the "sacred scarab beetle", ''Scarabaeus sacer'' and typical of the tribe Scarabaeini. These beetles feed exclusively on dung, which they accomplish by rol ...

'' Kheper_nigroaeneus_(Boheman,_1857)_(3456714178).jpg, '' Scarabaeus (Kheper) nigroaeneus''

Subgenera and species

The following subgenera are accepted in ''BioLib'': # '' Ateuchetus'' Bedel, 1892 # '' Escarabaeus'' Zídek & Pokorny, 2011 # ''

Kheper ''Kheper'' is a subgenus of '' Scarabaeus'': the typical genus of scarab beetles in the tribe Scarabaeini. The genus name honors the god Khepri in the ancient Egyptian religion, who is depicted as having a scarab for a head. ''Kheper'' can be f ...

'' Janssens, 1940 # ''

Mnematidium ''Mnematidium'' is a subgenus of ''Scarabaeus The genus ''Scarabaeus'' consists of a number of Old World dung beetle species, including the "sacred scarab beetle", ''Scarabaeus sacer'' and typical of the tribe Scarabaeini. These beetles fee ...

'' Ritsema, 1888 # '' Pachylosoma'' Zídek & Pokorný, 2008 # '' Pachysoma'' MacLeay, 1821 # '' Scarabaeolus'' Balthasar, 1965 # ''Scarabaeus'' Linnaeus, 1758 # ''

incertae sedis ' () or ''problematica'' is a term used for a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Alternatively, such groups are frequently referred to as "enigmatic taxa". In the system of open nomenclature, uncertain ...

'' ;All species: * ''

Scarabaeus acuticollis The genus ''Scarabaeus'' consists of a number of Old World dung beetle species, including the "sacred scarab beetle", ''Scarabaeus sacer'' and typical of the tribe Scarabaeini. These beetles feed exclusively on Manure, dung, which they accomplis ...

'' * ''

Scarabaeus aegyptiacus The genus ''Scarabaeus'' consists of a number of Old World dung beetle species, including the "sacred scarab beetle", ''Scarabaeus sacer'' and typical of the tribe Scarabaeini. These beetles feed exclusively on dung, which they accomplish by ro ...

'' * ''

Scarabaeus aegyptiorum The genus ''Scarabaeus'' consists of a number of Old World dung beetle species, including the "sacred scarab beetle", ''Scarabaeus sacer'' and typical of the tribe Scarabaeini. These beetles feed exclusively on dung, which they accomplish by rol ...

'' * ''

Scarabaeus aeratus The genus ''Scarabaeus'' consists of a number of Old World dung beetle species, including the "sacred scarab beetle", ''Scarabaeus sacer'' and typical of the tribe Scarabaeini. These beetles feed exclusively on dung, which they accomplish by ro ...

'' * ''

Scarabaeus aesculapius The genus ''Scarabaeus'' consists of a number of Old World dung beetle species, including the "sacred scarab beetle", ''Scarabaeus sacer'' and typical of the tribe Scarabaeini. These beetles feed exclusively on dung, which they accomplish by rol ...

'' * ''

Scarabaeus alienus The genus ''Scarabaeus'' consists of a number of Old World dung beetle species, including the "sacred scarab beetle", ''Scarabaeus sacer'' and typical of the tribe Scarabaeini. These beetles feed exclusively on dung, which they accomplish by rol ...

'' * ''

Scarabaeus anderseni The genus ''Scarabaeus'' consists of a number of Old World dung beetle species, including the "sacred scarab beetle", '' Scarabaeus sacer'' and typical of the tribe Scarabaeini. These beetles feed exclusively on dung, which they accomplish by r ...

'' * ''

Scarabaeus andreaei The genus ''Scarabaeus'' consists of a number of Old World dung beetle species, including the "sacred scarab beetle", ''Scarabaeus sacer'' and typical of the tribe Scarabaeini. These beetles feed exclusively on dung, which they accomplish by ro ...

'' * ''

Scarabaeus andrewesi The genus ''Scarabaeus'' consists of a number of Old World dung beetle species, including the "sacred scarab beetle", '' Scarabaeus sacer'' and typical of the tribe Scarabaeini. These beetles feed exclusively on dung, which they accomplish by r ...

'' * ''

Scarabaeus armeniacus The genus ''Scarabaeus'' consists of a number of Old World dung beetle species, including the "sacred scarab beetle", ''Scarabaeus sacer'' and typical of the tribe Scarabaeini. These beetles feed exclusively on Manure, dung, which they accomplis ...

'' * ''

Scarabaeus asceticus The genus ''Scarabaeus'' consists of a number of Old World dung beetle species, including the "sacred scarab beetle", ''Scarabaeus sacer'' and typical of the tribe Scarabaeini. These beetles feed exclusively on dung, which they accomplish by rol ...

'' * ''

Scarabaeus babori The genus ''Scarabaeus'' consists of a number of Old World dung beetle species, including the "sacred scarab beetle", ''Scarabaeus sacer'' and typical of the tribe Scarabaeini. These beetles feed exclusively on dung, which they accomplish by ro ...

'' * ''

Scarabaeus bannuensis The genus ''Scarabaeus'' consists of a number of Old World dung beetle species, including the "sacred scarab beetle", ''Scarabaeus sacer'' and typical of the tribe Scarabaeini. These beetles feed exclusively on dung, which they accomplish by rol ...

'' * ''

Scarabaeus basuto The genus ''Scarabaeus'' consists of a number of Old World