Bug FAQLeconte's dung beetle
Ateuchus lecontei · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Scarabaeidae
It belongs to the beetle family Scarabaeidae.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Ateuchus lecontei is a dung beetle in the family Scarabaeidae.
Source: Wikipedia
Can it bite, sting or make you sick?
Ateuchus lecontei does not have a bite or sting noted in the sources.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Ateuchus lecontei lives as a dung beetle.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Ateuchus lecontei feeds on dung like other dung beetles.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Ateuchus lecontei goes through the typical dung-beetle life stages.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Ateuchus lecontei is found where dung beetles occur.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Ateuchus lecontei may be confused with other dung beetles.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 12 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Florida, Georgia, Texas, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Alabama, Missouri, North Carolina.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
Questions people ask
What kind of insect is Ateuchus lecontei?
It is a dung beetle in the scarab family Scarabaeidae.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Scarabaeidae)
Japanese BeetlePopillia japonicaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Common Green June BeetleCotinis nitidaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Phyllophaga 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/Ateuchus_lecontei
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-25 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-25.