Bug FAQBloody small dung beetle
Otophorus haemorrhoidalis · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Scarabaeidae
Adults are tiny, only about 4 to 5 mm long (0.16 to 0.20 in). They have a short, convex, shiny, almost hairless body that is blackish, sometimes with reddish tips on the wing covers. They occur across the Palaearctic region and in many parts of North America, including Canada and the United States, as well as parts of Mexico.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The beetle’s body is short, strongly convex, moderately shiny and nearly hairless. Color is blackish, but the elytra may be reddish at the tip or have a small reddish spot near the shoulder.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults reach about 4 to 5 mm in length (0.16 to 0.20 in).
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is native to a wide Palaearctic area and also found throughout Canada and the United States, plus some Mexican states.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Otophorus is a monotypic genus in the scarab beetle family, represented only by this species.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 31 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Colorado, Texas, New Jersey, Michigan, California, Washington, Kansas, New York.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: introduced in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Same family (Scarabaeidae)
Japanese BeetlePopillia japonicaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Common Green June BeetleCotinis nitidaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Phyllophaga crinitaPhyllophaga crinitaDamages trees, gardens or crops
European Rose ChaferCetonia aurata
Mediterranean Spotted ChaferOxythyrea funestaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Oriental BeetleExomala orientalisDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otophorus
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.