About the Woodland Dor Beetle
Anoplotrupes stercorosus, the dor beetle, is a species of earth-boring dung beetle belonging to the family Geotrupidae, subfamily Geotrupinae. Varieties or forms that have been recognized at times include the following: A. stercorosus var. viridis (Dalla Torre, 1879)
This beetle is present throughout most of Europe and in Asia. It is also found in other regions of the world where cattle have been introduced, such as Australia. These beetles inhabit fresh areas of broadleaf forests, mainly beech forests; moist mixed forest; and fresh coniferous forests.
The adults of A. stercorosus grow up to 12–19 millimetres (0.47–0.75 in) long and therefore they do not reach the length of the very similar common dung beetle (Geotrupes stercorarius). The body colour is blue-black, while the underside is usually metallic blue. The elytra... Wikipedia →