Varies in color from black to metallic purple or bronze. It is about ½ inch long. Some males have a horn. The pronotum is coarsely unevenly punctuate. The grooves on the elytra have distinct punctures (small depressions).
The larvae feed in leaf litter, and that is usually where the adults are found. Adults may also be found in dung, or else on fungi. This beetle has a range that takes in most of the eastern U.S. Its occurrence in Fontenelle Forest is unknown.
They are called dor beetles in Europe. Males dig branching tunnels packing each cell with dead leaves or decaying fungi and then await a female that will lay an egg in each chamber.
Disclaimer: The content of NatureSearch is provided by dedicated volunteer Naturalists of Fontenelle Forest who strive to provide the most accurate information available. Contributors of the images retain their copyrights. The point of contact for this page is: Eric Scholar.