The MGS Forum

Gardening in mediterranean climates => Wildlife in the garden (birds, butterflies, and how to attract them) => Topic started by: John J on September 08, 2014, 02:08:52 PM

Title: What is this?
Post by: John J on September 08, 2014, 02:08:52 PM

This is not a quiz. Seriously, what is this? :o Returned from taking grandson to football practice to find it outside our back door next to a pair of old trainers I use for gardening. Even our cats, who'll tackle small snakes and lizards the size of mini dinosaurs seemed reluctant to go near it.

Title: Re: What is this?
Post by: Fermi on September 08, 2014, 02:44:47 PM

Could it be Geotrupes spiniger (Blue dung beetle)?
see this link: http://northeast.landcarevic.net.au/dungbeetle/projects/do-it-with-dung/dung-beetle-identification-chart/DUNG-BEETLE-IDENTIFICATION-GUIDE.pdf/view (http://northeast.landcarevic.net.au/dungbeetle/projects/do-it-with-dung/dung-beetle-identification-chart/DUNG-BEETLE-IDENTIFICATION-GUIDE.pdf/view)
cheers
fermi

Title: Re: What is this?
Post by: John J on September 08, 2014, 05:00:24 PM

Thanks, Fermi, I reckon you could be right, certainly about it being a Dung Beetle of some sort.

Title: Re: What is this?
Post by: oron peri on December 22, 2014, 07:14:25 AM

John

I would say Propomacros cypriacus

Title: Re: What is this?
Post by: John J on December 22, 2014, 01:11:40 PM

That's a new one on me,Oron, but when I looked it up I see it is a rare Cyprus endemic so it isn't surprising that I haven't seen one before. It troubled me to see that they frequent areas with Quercus and Carob where they feed on the old wood of these trees and we have neither anywhere near here. Then I remembered that around that time a friend who does have a carob tree brought us a few bags of carobs that had been left outside on the yard. I guess she could have inadvertently scooped it up along with those. That's the only explanation I can think of for it being here way out of range of any of its host plants.