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. Some of its constituent families are undergoing revision, and the family list below is provisional. This superfamily includes some of the largest beetles extant today, including rhinoceros beetles (Dynastinae), especially the Hercules beetle (Dynastes hercules) and the Goliath beetles (Goliathus sp.).
The oldest confirmed member of the group is the extinct genus Alloioscarabaeus from the Middle Jurassic period Jiulongshan Formation of Inner Mongolia, China.
Families
The following families are currently recognised: Belohinidae Paulian, 1959 Bolboceratidae Mulsant, 1842 Diphyllostomatidae Holloway, 1972 (false stag beetles) Geotrupidae Latreille, 1802 (earth-boring dung beetles) Glaphyridae MacLeay, 1819 (bumble bee scarab beetles) Glaresidae Kolbe, 1905 (enigmatic scarab beetles) Hybosoridae Erichson, 1847 (scavenging scarab beetles) inclusive of Ceratocanthidae (pill scarab beetles) Lucanidae Latreille 1804 (stag beetles) Ochodaeidae Mulsant and Rey 1871 (sand-loving scarab beetles) Passalidae Leach, 1815 (bess beetles) Pleocomidae LeConte 1861 (rain beetles) Scarabaeidae Latreille 1802 (scarab beetles) Trogidae MacLeay 1819 (hide beetles) † Alloioscarabaeidae Bai, Ren & Yang, 2012 † Coprinisphaeridae Genise, 2004 (ichnotaxon) † Pallichnidae Genise, 2004 (ichnotaxon) † Passalopalpidae Boucher, et al., 2016 † Septiventeridae Bai et al., 2012
See also List of subgroups of the order Coleoptera
References
External links
Checklist of the Scarabaeoidea of the Nearctic Realm (2003) Scarabs of the Levant Scarabaeoidea Movies from Tree of Life Project Scarabeoidea of Italy