Dicranocara
Encyclopedia
Dicranocara is a genus of Scarabaeidae
or scarab beetles in the superfamily Scarabaeoidea
. Dicranocara is endemic to the Richtersveld National Park. Three species are known, D. deschodti Frolov and Scholtz, D. tatasensis Deschodt and Scholtz and D. inexpectata Deschodt and Scholtz. Only D. tatasensis occurs south of the Orange River
.
The species in the genus live in close association with Rock Hyraxes (Procavia capensis Pallas). These Hyraxes have communal toilets or dung middens. These middens are a stable and dependable food source for Dicranocara in a resource scarce environment.
Scarabaeidae
The family Scarabaeidae as currently defined consists of over 30,000 species of beetles worldwide. The species in this large family are often called scarabs or scarab beetles. The classification of this family is fairly unstable, with numerous competing theories, and new proposals appearing quite...
or scarab beetles in the superfamily Scarabaeoidea
Scarabaeoidea
Scarabaeoidea is a superfamily of beetles, the only subgroup of the infraorder Scarabaeiformia. Around 35,000 species are placed in this superfamily and some 200 new species are described each year...
. Dicranocara is endemic to the Richtersveld National Park. Three species are known, D. deschodti Frolov and Scholtz, D. tatasensis Deschodt and Scholtz and D. inexpectata Deschodt and Scholtz. Only D. tatasensis occurs south of the Orange River
Orange River
The Orange River , Gariep River, Groote River or Senqu River is the longest river in South Africa. It rises in the Drakensberg mountains in Lesotho, flowing westwards through South Africa to the Atlantic Ocean...
.
The species in the genus live in close association with Rock Hyraxes (Procavia capensis Pallas). These Hyraxes have communal toilets or dung middens. These middens are a stable and dependable food source for Dicranocara in a resource scarce environment.