Rainbow Scarab

How to identify it

• Adults are about 1/2 to 7/8 inch long and bulky, with bright metallic green or green and blue wing covers and iridescent red and gold reflections on the thorax.^[1][2]
• Males have a horn on the head that curves back over the thorax.^[1][2]
• Larvae are soft, C-shaped grubs with a hardened head that develop inside dung balls.^[2]

Where it lives

It is native to the eastern United States, from Massachusetts to South Dakota and south to Texas and Florida.^[2]

US map: public records from 35 states since 1990 (GBIF). View the map

Biology and life cycle

A pair digs a tunnel under a dung pat, and the female forms a brood ball of dung, pushes it down the tunnel and lays an egg on it.^[1][2]

The larva develops inside the ball; north of Florida, larvae overwinter below the frost line, and egg to adult takes two to six months in the lab.^[2]

Damage and signs

• It is usually associated with pastures but flies about and may turn up far from cattle or horses.^[1]
• It is beneficial, disposing of animal wastes quickly.^[1][2]

Health risk

None to people or pets; it can carry a stomach worm that infects pigs that eat the beetles.^[2]

Control

Prevention

No control is needed, since the rainbow scarab is beneficial.^[1]

Common questions

What is the shiny green and red beetle with a horn?

Likely a male rainbow scarab, a native dung beetle.^[1][2]

Is the rainbow scarab a pest?

No; it buries animal dung and is beneficial.^[1][2]

Where do rainbow scarabs live?

Across the eastern United States, often near pastures.^[1][2]

Sources

1. NC State Extension, “Rainbow Scarab.” content.ces.ncsu.edu/rainbow-scarab-1 (accessed 2026-10-15)
2. University of Florida IFAS Extension (Featured Creatures), “Rainbow Scarab, Phanaeus vindex (EENY-567).” ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN1003 (accessed 2026-10-15)
3. iNaturalist, “Phanaeus vindex taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/83929 (accessed 2026-10-06)