About Odonteus armiger (Scopoli, 1772)
Odonteus armiger (Scopoli, 1772) has a body length of 7–10 mm (0.28–0.39 in). Its body is deep black, shiny, short, rounded, and strongly arched. Males have a narrow, movable horn at the base of the head, plus two smaller horns on the sides of their neck shield. Females have a transverse ridge with two small bumps in the same location. Other native beetles that have a head horn include the European rhinoceros beetle and Copris lunaris. The antennae of Odonteus armiger are made up of movable leaves. Similar genera Geotrupes and Typhaeus do not have this species' horn, rimmed seam edge of the elytra, and tomentum spot on the front of the forelegs, and Odonteus armiger is also usually smaller than members of these two genera. This species has a wide distribution across Europe. To the north, it ranges as far (southward) as Sweden and southern Great Britain. To the west, it occurs as far as France and north-eastern Spain. To the south, it extends as far (northeastward) as Spain, southern France, northern Italy, and the Balkan Peninsula. To the east, it reaches as far (southward) as Russia (east to the Urals) and the Caucasus.
