Bug FAQLittle Bear
Paracotalpa ursina · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Scarabaeidae
Also called: Little Bear Scarab, Little Bear Scarab Beetle
Adults measure between about 10 and 23 mm long (0.4 to 0.9 in). The head and thorax can be black, metallic blue, or metallic green, while the wing covers are red-brown or black, and the beetle is covered in hairs. It occurs in the western United States and Mexico.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The beetle is covered in hairs.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults range from about 10 mm to 23 mm in length.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 4 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Nevada, Florida, Utah.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
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/Paracotalpa_ursina
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.