Bug FAQAtaenius strigatus
Ataenius strigatus · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Scarabaeidae
Adults are tiny, measuring about 3.8 to 5.5 mm long. They have a shiny black, elongate-oblong body and usually reddish-black legs. These beetles are found in cow dung across parts of Canada, the United States and Mexico.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The beetle’s body is shiny black, elongate-oblong, with legs that are typically reddish-black.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Specimens have been collected in cow dung.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Specimens have been found feeding in cow dung.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Life stages have been collected in cow dung, indicating the dung environment is used for development.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 32 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, South Dakota, Michigan, Texas.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What do Ataenius strigatus beetles look like?
They have a shiny black, elongate-oblong body with usually reddish-black legs.
Source: Wikipedia
Where are Ataenius strigatus beetles found?
They are recorded in cow dung across Canada, the United States and Mexico.
Source: Wikipedia
What do Ataenius strigatus beetles eat?
They have been collected feeding in cow dung.
Source: Wikipedia
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/Ataenius_strigatus
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.