Sisyphus (beetle)

Sisyphus is a genus of dung beetles comprising more than 90 species.^[1] Adults are characterised by their long hind legs.^[2]

Sisyphus
Sisyphus longipes
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Coleoptera
Suborder:	Polyphaga
Infraorder:	Scarabaeiformia
Family:	Scarabaeidae
Tribe:	Scarabaeini
Genus:	Sisyphus Latreille, 1807
Species
see text

Etymology

The genus is named after Sisyphus, a mortal in Greek mythology who was condemned to the task of rolling a boulder up a hill for eternity.

Distribution

Africa, Eurasia, Asia, Central America and Australia.^[1]

Habits

Adults separate balls of dung from droppings and roll them some distance over the soil surface before burying them.^[2] Eggs are laid in the buried dung; this provides a source of food for the larvae once they hatch.

Species

One common species is Sisyphus schaefferi (Linnaeus, 1758).