Aphodius rufipes

9-13mm. Dark brown to black dung beetle. The scutellum is an equilateral triangle. The pronotum has a few large punctures amongst an even covering of fine punctures - a key ID feature when combined to the size.

Gardens, pony paddocks etc. It is a very regular visitor to gardens. Although feeding in Cow or Horse dung, these beetles fly great distances at night to find new food sources, and regularly turn up around outside lights in gardens, well into towns away from potential sources of food. After their initial crash into the light source, they are most often seen crawling on the ground beneath the light.

Peak is late summer and autumn

Dung-feeder on droppings of Cows and Horses, both as adults and larvae.

Widespread and common in Britain.

Fairly common in Leicestershire and Rutland. There were a total of 93 VC55 records for this species up to March 2015.