Bug FAQAphodius lividus
Aphodius lividus · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Scarabaeidae
Adult Aphodius lividus beetles are tiny, measuring about 3 to 4.5 mm long. They can be recognized by a notched clypeus with rough punctures and a strongly convex pronotum that has two sizes of punctures, the larger ones being scarce. This species is native to many regions across the Palaearctic, Afrotropical, Nearctic, Neotropical, Australian and Oriental zones, including several U.S. states such as Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland and Texas.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The clypeus is clearly notched and has rough punctures at the front. The pronotum is strongly convex with two sizes of punctures, the larger ones being few.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It occurs in the Palaearctic region, covering parts of Europe, Asia and North Africa. In the Afrotropical zone it is found in several African countries such as Angola and Ethiopia. In North America it is native to the United States, recorded in Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland and Texas. In the Neotropical region it occurs in Brazil, Cuba, Mexico and other Central and South American countries. It is also native to Australia and Papua New Guinea. In the Oriental region it is present in parts of India.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 20 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Arizona, Florida, Hawaii, California, Georgia, Tennessee, Oklahoma.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Same family (Scarabaeidae)
Japanese BeetlePopillia japonicaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Common Green June BeetleCotinis nitidaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Phyllophaga crinitaPhyllophaga crinitaDamages trees, gardens or crops
European Rose ChaferCetonia aurata
Mediterranean Spotted ChaferOxythyrea funestaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Oriental BeetleExomala orientalisDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labarrus_lividus
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.