Family: Scarabaeidae
Subfamily: Aphodiinae
Length: most species are 4-7 mm
All but one of the Aphodius species likely to be found in West Virginia are specialists in deer dung. Dried deer dung is not of much use to members of this genus, so they tend to live in shady forests, and are most often encountered in the wetter months of Fall and Spring. The beetle pictured above had its photo made at the end of November.
One species that may be present in West Virginia, Aphodius badiceps, lives in the nests of flying squirrels and other arboreal squirrels.
Insects of West Virginia
