Bug FAQPopeye Dung Beetle
Pachylomera femoralis · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Scarabaeidae
Also called: Flattened Giant Dung Beetle
It is a blackish-gray beetle with a rufous velvet patch on each front leg that it uses to clean its eyes. It lives in several southern African countries and prefers buffalo and elephant dung for food and breeding.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The beetle is blackish gray and each front leg has a rufous velvet patch used for wiping the eyes.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
It mainly feeds on the dung of buffalo and elephants.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The male makes a dung ball for breeding, and a female helps roll a ball she finds suitable.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
What does the Popeye dung beetle eat?
It specializes in feeding on buffalo and elephant dung.
Source: Wikipedia
How does the Popeye dung beetle reproduce?
The male forms a dung ball and the female assists in rolling a ball she likes for breeding.
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/Pachylomera_femoralis
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.