Scarabs, also called scarab beetles, are a family of beetles that includes flower chafers, dung beetles, June beetles, rhinoceros beetles, and the Japanese Beetle (Popillia japonica). Flat plates at the tips of their antennae open and close like a fan, a useful way to recognize the family.
This introduced beetle is widespread in much of the eastern and central United States. Adults are metallic green and bronze, with small white hair tufts along the abdomen.
In Missouri, this metallic green beetle visits ripe fruit and compost. Its stout body and green underside help separate it from the smaller Japanese Beetle.
Look in eastern U.S. deciduous woods or near lights at night. Males have two forward-pointing horns; females lack them.
This Missouri dung beetle shines green and copper. Males have a horn that points backward from the head.
A scarab's antennal plates can close together into a compact club. In most stag beetles, club segments remain separated like the teeth of a comb, and males of many species have enlarged jaws.
Why they get mixed upBoth are sturdy beetles often found around soil, wood, or lights.