Catharsius molossus

Catharsius molossus is a species of dung beetle in the family Scarabaeidae.

Catharsius molossus
Catharsius molossus from Vietnam
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Coleoptera
Suborder:	Polyphaga
Infraorder:	Scarabaeiformia
Family:	Scarabaeidae
Genus:	Catharsius
Species:	C. molossus
Binomial name
Catharsius molossus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms
List Catharsius borneensis Paulian, 1936 Catharsius dubius Paulian, 1936 Catharsius kangeanus Paulian, 1936 Catharsius timorensis Lansberge, 1879 Copris urus Fabricius, 1801 Scarabaeus abbreviatus Herbst, 1789 Scarabaeus berbiceus Herbst, 1789 Scarabaeus janus Olivier, 1789 Scarabaeus molossus Linnaeus, 1758

Description

Catharsius molossus can reach a length of about 25–35 millimetres (0.98–1.38 in) in the females, about 45 millimetres (1.8 in) in males. This species is completely black, the body is short and convex, quite hairy on the ventral side and usually with a short conical horn in the centre of the head of the males. Pronotum is densely granulated and elytra are finely striated. It is used in traditional Chinese medicine for detoxification, swelling and constipation.^[1]

Distribution

Catharsius molossus is one of the most widespread and abundant coprophagous species in tropical Asian regions. It occurs in the Palearctic realm (Afghanistan, Nepal, Sikkim, China, Taiwan), and in the Oriental realm (India, Sri Lanka, Andaman Islands, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Timor, and Flores).