Common dung beetle vs Stinking Hawk's-beard

Aphodius pedellus compared with Crepis foetida

Key Differences

• Common dung beetle is Least Concern while Stinking Hawk's-beard is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common dung beetle	Stinking Hawk's-beard
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Coleoptera (Beetles)	Asterales (Daisies & Sunflowers)
Family	Scarabaeidae	Asteraceae (Daisy Family)
Genus	Aphodius	Crepis
Species	Aphodius pedellus	Crepis foetida

Conservation Status

Common dung beetle

LC — Least Concern

Stinking Hawk's-beard

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common dung beetle	Stinking Hawk's-beard
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common dung beetle

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and United States.

Stinking Hawk's-beard

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, temperate grasslands and steppes, and flooded grasslands and savannas, among 4 distinct biome types within the Neotropic biogeographic realm.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (11 countries), North America (United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia), and South America (Argentina). Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Common dung beetle

<em>Aphodius pedellus</em>, a species of dung beetle in the family Scarabaeidae, is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List, indicating a stable conservation outlook across its known range. The species has been documented in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States, with its distribution spanning virtually all terrestrial and freshwater biome types. As a member of the Aphodiini tribe, <em>Aphodius pedellus</em> typically inhabits pastures, meadows, and woodland edges where mammalian dung is available, as dung beetles in this genus rely on feces as both a breeding medium and a food resource. These beetles play a critical role in nutrient cycling and soil aeration, breaking down organic waste and accelerating the return of nutrients to the soil. Their burrowing activity beneath dung pats enhances soil structure and improves water infiltration. <em>Aphodius pedellus</em> is part of a guild of coprophagous insects that collectively support healthy agricultural and natural ecosystems across temperate Europe and North America. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇸 United States