Galapagos Species Database

The Galapagos Species Database shares the information about the species from our Natural History Collections.

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Ataenius arrowi Hinton, 1936

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Ataenius arrowi Santa Cruz Island. Specimen housed in the ICCDRS collection (ICCDRS 5170) Photo: María Sol Herrera, CDF, 2024.
Ataenius arrowi Santa Cruz Island. Specimen housed in the ICCDRS collection (ICCDRS 5170) Photo: María Sol Herrera, CDF, 2024.

The species has dimorphic wings, with upper elevation populations with smaller and seeemingly non-functioning hind (flight) wings.

Scavenger, on dung or humus; arid to pampa zones; January–July, September; in tortoise dung, at baited traps and lights, litter sifting, FIT.

Taxonomy

Domain
Eukaryota

Kingdom
Animalia

Phylum
Arthropoda

Class
Insecta

Order
Coleoptera

Suborder
Polyphaga

Superfamily
Scarabaeoidea

Family
Scarabaeidae

Section
Eupariini

Genus
Ataenius

Species
arrowi

Taxon category: Accepted

Syn.: Ataenius cribrithorax Bates, 1887, A. leleupi Petrovitz 1976, fide Peck (2006). It is related to A. nugator, which is widespread from the southern US to Chile.

Origin: Endemic

Distribution

Map of specimen collection localities or observation records for this species in our collections database.

Distribution: Darwin? Isabela?, Pinta, Santa Cruz, Santiago

References

  • Blair, K.G. (1933) Further Coleoptera from the Galapagos Archipelago. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 10, 11: 471-487.
  • Cook, J. Peck S.B. (2000) Aphodiinae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) of the Galápagos Islands. The Canadian Entomologist 132: 281-300.
  • Franz, H. (1985) Beitrag zur Kenntnis der Koleopterenfauna der Galapagos-Inseln. Österr. Akad. Wissensch. Mathem.-naturw. Kl., Abt. I, 194(1-5): 73-124.
  • Linsley, E.G. (1977) Insects of the Galápagos (Supplement). Occassional Papers of the Califoria Academy of Sciences 125: 1-50.
  • Linsley, E.G. Usinger, R.L. (1966) Insects of the Galápagos Islands. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences Fourth Series 33(7): 113-196.
  • Mutchler, A.J. (1938) Coleoptera from the Galapagos Islands. American Museum Novitates 981: 1-19.
  • Peck, S.B. (2006) The Beetles of the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador: Evolution, Ecology, and Diversity (Insecta: Coleoptera) NRC Research Press, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. 314 pp.
  • Peck, S.B. (1996) The arthropods of the allobiosphere (barren lava flows) of the Galapagos islands, Ecuador Noticias de Galápagos 56: 9-12.
  • Van Dyke, E.C. (1953) The Coleoptera of the Galapagos Islands. Occasional Papers of the California Academy of Sciences 22: 1-181.

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This page should be cited as follows:

"Galapagos Species Database, Ataenius arrowi", dataZone. Charles Darwin Foundation, https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/en/checklist/?species=5567. Accessed 7 June 2026.