This bland colored beetle is a Gold & Brown Rove Beetle
(Ontholestes cingulatus). They are found throughout North America and are associated with dung, carrion and other nasty's. The adults do not feed on poo....they are there to feed on the insects feeding on the poo. The larvae however do...so therefore they are often found in these excrement's feeding on insects or laying eggs. They are one of the largest rove beetles in North America and are all brown with golden coloration near the thorax and on the last abdominal segment. This golden segment has a glowing appearance when first seen that reminds a person of a lightning bug. I have been finding a lot of these beetles on cow dung in out pasture. There are at least two per pile and they seem to prefer fresh dung. The cow patty's that are a day or two old will have no rove beetles on them.
These beetles are incredibly fast and difficult to approach and photograph. I managed two decent photos out of numerous attempts. They race quickly underneath the poo and disappear, sometimes never to be seen again. I draw the line at flipping cow patty's to get at these beetles. I prefer to wait patiently and hope for the best. It just goes to show you never know where you will find interesting insects. :o)
Don't think I have looked close enough. I am with you about flipping them but as a kid sailed a few dried ones like a frisbee.I do a perfect call and can bring them in, we often visited a stockyard in omaha and my dad took us over to ride horses and call cows. My neighbor cleaned out a small pond and I was amused to see a strider had found its way into my small swimming pool.
ReplyDeleteI've never called cows, but I can sure call pigs. We raised them for nine years and you oughta hear me yell "Suie". LOL
ReplyDeleteI've seen striders show up in some pretty strange places....birdbaths....goldfish pond....mud puddles..etc.
This is a good blog, it is encouraging to see people giving value
ReplyDeletethrough great post.Thanks
Thank you rehab-bingo...it means a lot to me to have great people like yourself visit here and like what they find. Bugs get such a bad rap.....they need people to set the record straight...so-to-speak. LOL I hope you visit often
ReplyDeleteI just caught one of these beetles while I was cleaning up my dog waste in the back yard, I have a "pooper scooper claw" that I use and I had no idea what it was so I kept it... The bug not the poop. Thanks for the info
ReplyDeleteLOL, these are very unique beetles to be sure. I cannot believe how fast they are, I had to practically camp out next to a pile of poo to get even one good picture. Happy you were able to ID your find.
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