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Gymnopleurus koenigi in Wilpaththu, Sri Lanka In Wilpaththu we found this group of dung beetles competing over a pile of dung. I&#039;m having trouble finding the exact species as information is very limited online. A notable identification clue may be the yellow spots on their back, but I&#039;m unable to match it with anything so far. Closeup:<br /> <figure class="photo"><a href="https://www.jungledragon.com/image/23681/gymnopleurus_koenigi_dung_beetles_pushing_ball_of_dung_in_wilpaththu_sri_lanka.html" title="Gymnopleurus koenigi Dung beetles pushing ball of dung in Wilpaththu, Sri Lanka"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.jungledragon.com/images/2/23681_thumb.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=05GMT0V3GWVNE7GGM1R2&Expires=1759968010&Signature=XQ8elvV78BDGTKIln6qHh2gzlCI%3D" width="200" height="134" alt="Gymnopleurus koenigi Dung beetles pushing ball of dung in Wilpaththu, Sri Lanka Here&#039;s a closeup of a dung beetle pushing a ball of dung which it use to lure a female. In the background you can see another male chasing it, trying to steal the ball. Source of the ball:<br /> <br /> http://www.jungledragon.com/image/23670/dung_beetles_in_wilpaththu_sri_lanka.html Asia,Gymnopleurus koenigi,Sri Lanka,Wilpaththu" /></a></figure> Asia,Gymnopleurus koenigi,Sri Lanka,Wilpaththu Click/tap to enlarge Species introCountry intro

Gymnopleurus koenigi in Wilpaththu, Sri Lanka

In Wilpaththu we found this group of dung beetles competing over a pile of dung. I'm having trouble finding the exact species as information is very limited online. A notable identification clue may be the yellow spots on their back, but I'm unable to match it with anything so far. Closeup:

Gymnopleurus koenigi Dung beetles pushing ball of dung in Wilpaththu, Sri Lanka Here's a closeup of a dung beetle pushing a ball of dung which it use to lure a female. In the background you can see another male chasing it, trying to steal the ball. Source of the ball:<br /> <br /> http://www.jungledragon.com/image/23670/dung_beetles_in_wilpaththu_sri_lanka.html Asia,Gymnopleurus koenigi,Sri Lanka,Wilpaththu

    comments (9)

  1. View Claire Hamilton's profile
    Claire Hamilton
    Lion
    View Lion class
    Well, I have searched and searched but sorry, I cannot find anything like this, do you perhaps have a better view of the head part? Posted 10 years ago
    1. View Ferdy Christant's profile
      Ferdy Christant
      Lion
      View Lion class
      Sorry, not really, their heads are always facing down. A tough one this is, can't anything similar either. Posted 10 years ago
  3. View Christine Young's profile
    Christine Young
    Lion
    View Lion class
    I think this might be Gymnopleurus koenigi. It's found on Sri Lanka and is a visual match.
    https://eol.org/media/9440735
    https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/968512-Gymnopleurus-koenigi/browse_photos?order_by=created_at&quality_grade=any&photo_license=any     Posted 2 years ago
    1. View Ferdy Christant's profile
      Ferdy Christant
      Lion
      View Lion class
      The little yellow/white stripes look like an explicit match. So cool to have an ID, thanks! Posted 2 years ago
      1. View Christine Young's profile
        Christine Young
        Lion
        View Lion class
        You're welcome! Fun fact: dung beetles are my favorite creatures. Posted 2 years ago
        1. View Ferdy Christant's profile
          Ferdy Christant
          Lion
          View Lion class
          Must be the devoted males lol. Posted 2 years ago
          1. View Christine Young's profile
            Christine Young
            Lion
            View Lion class
            Females of some dung beetle species fight each other over the poop too. Posted 2 years ago
            1. View Ferdy Christant's profile
              Ferdy Christant
              Lion
              View Lion class
              Can only be one queen poop. Posted 2 years ago
              1. View Christine Young's profile
                Christine Young
                Lion
                View Lion class
                It's worth fighting for. Posted 2 years ago

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The Gymnopleurus koenigi

"Gymnopleurus koenigi", is a species of dung beetle found in India, Sri Lanka, Mongolia, and Tibet.

Info 2 0
Similar species: Beetles
Species identified by Ferdy Christant
View Ferdy Christant's profile

By Ferdy Christant

All rights reserved
Uploaded Dec 3, 2014. Captured Nov 5, 2014 09:59.
country flag of Sri Lanka Explore Sri Lanka 1,597 544 0
  • NIKON D800
  • f/8.0
  • 1/60s
  • ISO100
  • 105mm