Scarites buparius

This species occurs in France, Greece, Italy, Spain and in North Africa.[https://fauna-eu.org/cdm_dataportal/taxon/0290029f-516e-4a18-bc2f-be38280a79ac Fauna europaea]

Scarites buparius lives in the coastal dunes and sandy beaches.L. CHELAZZI, E. DEMATTHAEIS, I. COLOMBIN, M. FALLACI, V. BANDINI, C. TOZZI - ABUNDANCE, ZONATION AND ECOLOGICAL INDICES OF A COLEOPTERAN COMMUNITY FROM A SANDY BEACH-DUNE ECOSYSTEM OF THE SOUTHERN ADRIATIC COAST, ITALY

Scarites buparius reach a length of about {{convert|35|-|40|mm}}, with a maximum of {{convert|60|mm}}.[http://www.csmon-life.eu/pagina/dettaglio_specie/169 CSMON-Life] The basic black color of this glossy beetle is aposematic, highlighting clearly the body on the sandy substrate.

Elytra present thin and shallow striae, almost absent in larger specimen. Sexual dimorphism is not conspicuous,[https://www.galerie-insecte.org/galerie/Scarites_buparius.html Galerie-insecte] but males are usually slightly smaller than females and the mandibles of the males are longer and hooked. This species is flightless.[http://escholarship.org/uc/item/32m6640q Flightlessness in psammophilous beetles inhabiting a Mediterranean coastal area: ecological and biogeographical implications]

The males use their impressive mandibles to fight each other. This intra-male aggressive behaviour consist of a repeated series of fighting events, during which a dominance/submission status is established. The attack behaviour persistence is correlated with the body lengthT. Bonacci, P. Brandmayr, A. Giglio, A. Massolo, A. Mazzei, R. Odoguardi, M. Romeo, F. Talarico & T. Zetto Brandmayr [http://www.eulabs.eu/Downloads/Pubblicazioni/Bonacci%20et%20al%202006.pdf Agonistic behaviour of Scarites buparius in relation to body size] During the fights the males grab the head of the antagonists and rise them into the air. These fights sometimes end with the death of one of the contenders.

Adults can be found in Spring and Summer, but present peaks of activity in May. They are used to spend the hottest hours of the day in their underground galleries, that they dig in the sand of the dunes with their strong front legs. Peak hunting activity begins usually in the evening. They present a large spectrum of preys, preferably other insects and gastropods,[La fauna in Italia - Touring Editore, 2002] which they dismember with their powerful jaws. Prey is usually consumed inside their subterranean den.

File:Scarites buparius with Pimelia bipunctata prey.jpg|Scarites buparius with Pimelia bipunctata prey

File:Scarites buparius.jpg|Scarites buparius. Close-up

File:Scarites buparius ch.jpg|Scarites buparius, Kotychi, Greece

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buparius

Category:Scaritinae

Category:Beetles described in 1771

Category:Taxa named by Johann Reinhold Forster

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