Megatelus contractus

Megatelus contractus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Clade:	Pancrustacea
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Coleoptera
Suborder:	Polyphaga
Infraorder:	Scarabaeiformia
Family:	Scarabaeidae
Genus:	Megatelus
Species:	M. contractus
Binomial name
	Megatelus contractus; (Klug, 1830)
Synonyms
	Aphodius contractus Klug, 1830; Otophorus scolytoides Lucas, 1846; Aphodius brevis Dejean, 1833;

Megatelus contractus is a species of beetle of the family Scarabaeidae. It is found in Afghanistan, Cyprus, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Syria, Turkey, Chad, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Niger, Senegal, Sudan and India (Rajasthan).

Description

Adults reach a length of about 4–4.5 mm (0.16–0.18 in). They have a short, broad, glossy body. The head and pronotum are black. The elytra are yellow with a dark patch that covers the sides and short light-colored hairs toward the rear and along the side. The scutellum and surrounding area are black.

References

↑ "Global Biodiversity Information Facility". gbif.org. Retrieved October 28, 2026.
↑ Schoolmeesters, P. (2025). "Megatelus contractus at Catalogue of Life". World Scarabaeidae Database (version 2025-10-07). In O. Bánki, Y. Roskov, M. Döring, G. Ower, D. R. Hernández Robles, C. A. Plata Corredor, T. Stjernegaard Jeppesen, A. Örn, T. Pape, D. Hobern, S. Garnett, H. Little, R. E. DeWalt, J. Miller, T. Orrell, & R. Aalbu, Catalogue of Life (2025-10-10 XR). Amsterdam, Netherlands: Catalogue of Life Foundation. Retrieved October 28, 2026.
1 2 Balthasar, V. (1964). "Monographie der Scarabaeidae und Aphodidae der palaearktischen und orientalischen Region Coleoptera: Lamellicornia Aphodiidae" (PDF). Tchechoslowakische Akademie Der Wissenschaften Prag. 3: 1-652. Retrieved October 28, 2026.

This Scarabaeidae-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information.

[gbif-1] "Global Biodiversity Information Facility". gbif.org. Retrieved October 28, 2026.

[:1-2] Schoolmeesters, P. (2025). "Megatelus contractus at Catalogue of Life". World Scarabaeidae Database (version 2025-10-07). In O. Bánki, Y. Roskov, M. Döring, G. Ower, D. R. Hernández Robles, C. A. Plata Corredor, T. Stjernegaard Jeppesen, A. Örn, T. Pape, D. Hobern, S. Garnett, H. Little, R. E. DeWalt, J. Miller, T. Orrell, & R. Aalbu, Catalogue of Life (2025-10-10 XR). Amsterdam, Netherlands: Catalogue of Life Foundation. Retrieved October 28, 2026.

[:2-3] 1 2 Balthasar, V. (1964). "Monographie der Scarabaeidae und Aphodidae der palaearktischen und orientalischen Region Coleoptera: Lamellicornia Aphodiidae" (PDF). Tchechoslowakische Akademie Der Wissenschaften Prag. 3: 1-652. Retrieved October 28, 2026.