Scarabaeoidea is a
superfamily of
beetle
Beetles are insects that form the Taxonomic rank, order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Holometabola. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 40 ...
s, the only subgroup of the
infraorder
Order () is one of the eight major hierarchical taxonomic ranks in Linnaean taxonomy. It is classified between Family_(biology), family and Class_(biology), class. In biological classification, the order is a taxonomic rank used in the classific ...
Scarabaeiformia. Around 35,000 species are placed in this superfamily and some 200 new species are described each year. Some of its constituent families are undergoing revision, and the family list below is provisional. This superfamily includes some of the largest beetles extant today, including
rhinoceros beetles (Dynastinae), especially the
Hercules beetle (''Dynastes hercules'') and the
Goliath beetles (''Goliathus'' sp.).
The oldest confirmed member of the group is the
extinct
Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...
genus ''
Alloioscarabaeus'' from the
Middle Jurassic
The Middle Jurassic is the second Epoch (geology), epoch of the Jurassic Period (geology), Period. It lasted from about 174.1 to 161.5 million years ago. Fossils of land-dwelling animals, such as dinosaurs, from the Middle Jurassic are relativel ...
period
Jiulongshan Formation of
Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia, officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of China. Its border includes two-thirds of the length of China's China–Mongolia border, border with the country of Mongolia. ...
, China.
Families
*
Belohinidae Paulian, 1959
*
Bolboceratidae Mulsant, 1842
*
Diphyllostomatidae Holloway, 1972 (
false stag beetles)
*
Geotrupidae Latreille, 1802 (
earth-boring dung beetles)
*
Glaphyridae MacLeay, 1819 (
bumble bee scarab beetles)
*
Glaresidae Kolbe, 1905 (
enigmatic scarab beetles)
*
Hybosoridae
Hybosoridae, sometimes known as the scavenger scarab beetles, is a family of Scarabaeiformia, scarabaeiform beetles. The >600 species in 78 extant genera occur widely in the tropics, but little is known of their biology.
Hybosorids are small, 5 ...
Erichson, 1847 (
scavenging scarab beetles)
** inclusive of
Ceratocanthidae (pill scarab beetles)
*
Lucanidae Latreille 1804 (
stag beetles)
*
Ochodaeidae
Ochodaeidae, also known as the sand-loving scarab beetles, is a small family of scarabaeiform beetles occurring in many parts of the world.
These beetles are small, ranging from . Their bodies are elongate and convex, with black and brown colo ...
Mulsant and Rey 1871 (
sand-loving scarab beetle
Ochodaeidae, also known as the sand-loving scarab beetles, is a small family of Scarabaeiformia, scarabaeiform beetles occurring in many parts of the world.
These beetles are small, ranging from . Their bodies are elongate and convex, with blac ...
s)
*
Passalidae
Passalidae is a family of beetles known variously as "bessbugs", "bess beetles", "betsy beetles", "betsy bugs", or "horned passalus beetles". Nearly all of the 500-odd species are tropical; species found in North America are notable for their siz ...
Leach, 1815 (
bess beetles)
*
Pleocomidae LeConte 1861 (
rain beetles)
*
Scarabaeidae
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. Several groups formerly tre ...
Latreille 1802 (
scarab beetles)
*
Trogidae
Trogidae, sometimes called hide beetles, is a family of beetles with a distinctive warty or bumpy appearance. Found worldwide, the family includes about 300 species contained in four or five genera.
Trogids range in length from 2 to 20 mm. Thei ...
MacLeay 1819 (
hide beetle
Trogidae, sometimes called hide beetles, is a family of beetles with a distinctive warty or bumpy appearance. Found worldwide, the family includes about 300 species contained in four or five genera.
Trogids range in length from 2 to 20 mm. Thei ...
s)
*â€
Alloioscarabaeidae Bai, Ren & Yang, 2012
*â€
Coprinisphaeridae Genise, 2004 (
ichnotaxon
An ichnotaxon (plural ichnotaxa) is "a taxon based on the fossilized work of an organism", i.e. the non-human equivalent of an artifact. ''Ichnotaxon'' comes from the Ancient Greek (''Ãchnos'') meaning "track" and English , itself derived from ...
)
*â€
Pallichnidae Genise, 2004 (ichnotaxon)
*â€
Passalopalpidae Boucher, et al., 2016
See also
*
List of subgroups of the order Coleoptera
In
Peru
Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
alone, there are 1042 known species of Scarabaeoidea as of 2015.
This is due to Peru's high biodiversity and endemism.
References
External links
Checklist of the Scarabaeoidea of the Nearctic Realm(2003)
Scarabaeoidea Moviesfrom Tree of Life Project
Beetle superfamilies
Taxa named by Pierre André Latreille
{{Scarabaeoidea-stub