About Circellium bacchus (Fabricius, 1781)
The flightless dung beetle, scientifically named Circellium bacchus, is a dung beetle species that is the only member of the genus Circellium. This species is endemic to only a few locations in South Africa, including Addo Elephant National Park, Amakhala Game Reserve, and Buffalo Valley Game Farm. Originally, Circellium bacchus was widespread across Southern Africa, but now it only survives in the small number of areas listed above, so it is classified as a vulnerable species by the IUCN. Because this beetle cannot fly, it can use the empty space under its elytra as a carbon dioxide storage tank. This gives it a unique breathing mechanism that conserves water, which is a useful survival trait for the arid regions where it lives. Several additional factors increase this species’ vulnerability: its habitat is threatened by agriculture and other human activity, it has low breeding capacity, it has very low dispersal ability as a result of being flightless, and its survival depends strictly on populations of certain vertebrates, particularly elephants and buffalo, which are also declining in numbers. Flightless dung beetles feed mostly on the faeces of elephants or buffalo, but they have also been recorded feeding on dung from other species including rabbits, baboons, antelopes, and ostriches.
