Way of the Scarab

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     There are many orders of bugs that fall under the class of insect but there are four that are among that are considered the main four. Out of the four of those orders there is one in particular that will be addressed in this post and that will be Coleoptera. The species that the Coleoptera order is most recognized by are the beetles, it also has weevils in it. Beetles are a group of insects that have horns, mouth pinchers, armor like exoskeleton, and wings. However there is one group of beetles in particular that will be discussed in this blog which is the scarabaeidae family. 

    The scarab beetle is probably one of the most recognizable beetles in the entire Coleoptera order.  They have stout-bodies with a tarsal that is 5-5-5 segmented (University of Nebraska-lincoln). Unlike some families, scarab beetles have a variety of sizes and colors that make it a very unique species. The size of the scarab beetles widely depends on the species with one species that have adults which grow as big as 2 inches and another with larvae that is the same size (Missouri Department of Conservation). Their bodies were robust in nature and were supported by shiny legs (NC State university). One of the most unique traits they have is their antenna which has 8-11 segments and is composed of lamella (University of Nebraska-lincoln). The antenna on these scarab beetles are also unique compared to some of the more well known families antenna since they are barely noticeable compared to the large easily noticeable antenna protruding from their heads. Certain species of scarab beetles have horns that are used to attack, defend and display dominance, most scarab beetles that have these are male but there are some females that have them (Missouri Department of Conservation). Like many beetles in the order, the scarab beetles are herbivores and will feed on vegetation in the given area. The larvae of the scarab beetles live in soil and feed on the roots of various plants (NC State university). This trait allows the adults and the larvae to not compete for food and instead allow them to coexist without a fight for survival. 

    While it has many traits that can be used to defend against other insects and some animals it does not keep everything away. During the larvae stage many mammals hunt them down and feast upon as many as they can. Skunks, moles, crows, and grackles use their claws, beaks, and senses to dig up and find as many as they can eat (Missouri Department of Conservation). Even if the mammals were their size the larvae are helpless against these raids as they have no shells or defense mechanisms to hurt or scare off such foes. The adult exoskeleton can protect them against some enemies they are not completely safe with. Bats, birds, and frogs can get past the tough exoskeleton and gobble them up (Missouri Department of Conservation). The big beaks and mouths of the predators can get past the armor and swallow them whole and their wings, sonar, long tongues, and capable legs allow for no escape. The scarab beetle's armor also doesn't protect them too well against certain parasites. Certain species of wasps and flies use scarabs along with other kinds of beetles as hosts and eventual first meals for their larvae (Missouri Department of Conservation). The grubs are completely unprotected against any kind of move made by these Diptera and Hymenoptera, the armor on the adults is a bit more effective against warding off these parasites. But the stingers of the wasps can puncture the armor and certain parts are not covered by armor. 

                                                                    


    These beetles are more closely connected to religion than most other beetles with being worshiped by the Egyptians. Scarab beetles were a sign of many good things in Egypt, good fortune, revival, optimism, faith, vitality, and rebirth (Egypt United tours). The scarab beetle was seen as a symbol of immortality by the ancient Egyptians (NC State university). Many Egyptians pharaohs had made jewelry and gold into the shape of scarab beetles. Along with being the symbol of immortality the scarab beetle was also seen as a symbol of transformation, resurrection, and safety (Egypt United Tours). The various symbols the scarab represent are connected in that each is a way to avoid harm and death. The reason why the scarab was the symbol of so many things that spelled good fortune and continuing life is because the beetle was closely associated with Ra the most important god in the Egyptian religion (Egypt United Tours). This meant that the pharaohs wore those scarab jewelries to make themselves more closely associated with Ra. It helped make them out to be above the rest of the people as gods rather than humans.   

     The scarabaeidae family are one of the most iconic species of beetles and insects on the planet. They have been a very diverse and unique family of beetles that can survive even in the deserts of Egypt. Many people both Egyptian religion followers and bug collectors, see these bugs as something out of this world. Scarabs may not in real life be these immortality, good fortune bringing, god insects as told in religion but they are still special. Scarabs may be susceptible to all the harsh realities of the natural world from unsuspecting egg carriers to meals for the bigger and stronger animals of the world. But they have allowed people even in ancient times to see the beauty of the insecta order.

                                                                        Works Cited

"Scarab Beetles" Missouri Department of Conservation, https://education.mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/scarab-beetles.

"Scarab Beetle in Ancient Egypt" Egypt United Tour Services, https://egyptunitedtours.com/scarab-beetle-in-ancient-egypt/.

"Coleoptera" Agriculture and Life Sciences (NC State University), https://genent.cals.ncsu.edu/insect-identification/order-coleoptera/

"Order Coleoptera - Beetles" Department of Entomology (University of Nebraska-lincoln), https://entomology.unl.edu/order-coleoptera-beetles

                                                                    Images cited

"Aroid scarabs in the genus Peltonotus Burmeister (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Dynastinae): key to species and new distributional data" Zookeys, https://zookeys.pensoft.net/articles.php?id=3471

"Golden Egyptian Scarab" fineartamerica, https://fineartamerica.com/featured/gold-egyptian-scarab-chris-macdonald.html

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