Bug FAQCape Flightless Dung Beetle
Circellium bacchus · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Scarabaeidae
Also called: Addo Flightless Dung Beetle
The Cape Flightless Dung Beetle is a dung beetle that cannot fly and lives only in a few spots in South Africa. It stores carbon dioxide under its wing covers to conserve water in its dry habitat. It mainly eats elephant and buffalo dung, but will also use rabbit, baboon, antelope and ostrich dung.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
It is the sole species in the genus Circellium.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Losing flight lets it keep carbon dioxide under its elytra, which helps it save water in arid areas.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
It mostly feeds on elephant or buffalo dung, but also consumes dung from rabbits, baboons, antelopes and ostriches.
Source: Wikipedia
Questions people ask
What does the Cape Flightless Dung Beetle eat?
It mainly eats elephant and buffalo dung, and will also use rabbit, baboon, antelope and ostrich dung.
Source: Wikipedia
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/Flightless_dung_beetle
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.