Bug FAQPhanaeus difformis
Phanaeus difformis · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Scarabaeidae
Phanaeus difformis is a true dung beetle in the scarab family found in the south-central United States and far northern Mexico. It may hybridize with the more common Phanaeus vindex, which can lead to confusion between the two species.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Phanaeus difformis is a true dung beetle in the scarab family.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It can hybridize with the more common Phanaeus vindex, which may cause it to be mistaken for that species.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 7 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Florida, Kansas, Colorado, Louisiana.
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 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/Phanaeus_difformis
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.