Adult habits, larval morphology, and phylogenetic placement of Taurocerastes patagonicus Philippi (Scarabaeidae: Geotrupinae)

Adults of Taurocerastes patagonicus Philippi were observed in Patagonian Chile. They pulled sheep dung with their forelegs to their inclined, 10–35 cm deep burrows. The third-stage larva was collected and is described and illustrated, and its relationship with some genera in the tribe Geotrupini is discussed. Within the Geotrupini the morphology of Taurocerastes indicates a distant, relict relationship to the other genera.