Sphaeridium
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| Sphaeridium | |
|---|---|
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| Sphaeridium lunatum | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Suborder: | Polyphaga |
| Infraorder: | Staphyliniformia |
| Family: | Hydrophilidae |
| Subfamily: | Sphaeridiinae |
| Genus: | Sphaeridium Fabricius, 1775 |
| Species | |
|
see text | |
Sphaeridium is a genus of beetles in the family Hydrophilidae, the water scavenger beetles. They occur in Europe, and some species have been introduced to North America.[1]
The adults are 4 to 7.5 millimeters long. They have short antennae with hairy clubs at the tips.[2]
These beetles live in cow dung. The adults feed on the dung and other organic matter,[1] but the beetle larvae are predators of the maggots of the flies that breed in the dung, such as the face fly (Musca autumnalis). Two or more Sphaeridium beetle species may coexist in one pat, and the larvae may feed on each other. The female beetle deposits several eggs encased in a cocoon.[3]
