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Rainbow Scarab Beetle

A male rainbow scarab
Judy Gallagher
/
Flickr
A male rainbow scarab

Phanaeus vindex, the rainbow scarab, is a North American dung beetle, with a range from the eastern US to the Rocky Mountains. The head is a metallic yellow color, and males have a black horn which curves backward toward the thorax. Both sexes have yellow antennae which can retract into a ball on the underside of the head. The thorax is a shiny coppery color, with yellow or green on the sides. The abdomen is metallic green. The underbelly is black and green. Body length is about 2–3 cm.

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