Galapagos Species Database

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

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Ataenius gracilis (Melsheimer, 1844)

escarabajo

Scavenger, on cow and horse dung; arid, transition, and agriculture zones; March, April; at UV lights.

Taxonomy

Domain
Eukaryota

Kingdom
Animalia

Phylum
Arthropoda

Class
Insecta

Order
Coleoptera

Suborder
Polyphaga

Superfamily
Scarabaeoidea

Family
Scarabaeidae

Section
Eupariini

Genus
Ataenius

Species
gracilis

Taxon category: Accepted

Origin: Introduced - established

Introduction

Year of first record: 1991

Mode of introduction: Accidental

Introduction Pathway: Contaminant

Subpathway: On habitat material (soil, vegetation)

Introduced status: Naturalized

Invasive status: No data

Distribution

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

Distribution: Santa Cruz

References

  • Cook, J. Peck S.B. (2000) Aphodiinae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) of the Galápagos Islands. The Canadian Entomologist 132: 281-300.
  • Peck, S.B. Heraty, J., Landry, B. & Sinclair, B.J. (1998) Introduced insect fauna of an oceanic archipelago: The Galápagos Islands, Ecuador. Am. Entomol. 44: 218-237.
  • 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.

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This page should be cited as follows:

"Galapagos Species Database, Ataenius gracilis", dataZone. Charles Darwin Foundation, https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/en/checklist/?species=5572. Accessed 6 June 2026.