Ceratocanthus aeneus General Information Universe Real Life Aliases Round Fungus Beetle

Shining Ball Scarab Beetle

Sphaeromorphus volvox Classification Ceratocanthus aeneus Species Type Pill Scarab Homeworld Earth Environment Monteverde Cloud Forest, Costa Rica Intelligence Non-Sapient Biochemistry Carbon-based lifeform Discovered 1819 Discoverer William Sharp Macleay Biological Information Reproduction Sexual; lays eggs Average Length 5 mm (0.02 ft) Locomotion Beetle-like movement Distinctive Features Can roll up into a ball Eye Color Black Skin Color Iridescent green with red underside Lineage Information Cultural Information Alignment Neutral Personality Easily domesticated Sociocultral characteristics Scientific Taxonomy Planet Earth Domain Eukaryota Kingdom Animalia Subkingdom Eumetazoa Infrakingdom Bilateria Superphylum Ecdysozoa Phylum Arthropoda Subphylum Hexapoda Class Insecta Subclass Pterygota Infraclass Neoptera Superorder Endopterygota Order Coleoptera Suborder Polyphaga Infraorder Scarabaeiformia Superfamily Scarabaeoidea Family Hybosoridae (Scavenger Scarabs) Genus Ceratocanthus Race aeneus Other Information Status Data Deficient First Sighting 1819

The Shining Ball Scarab Beetle or Round Fungus Beetle (Ceratocanthus aeneus) is a small species of pill scarab indigenous to the Monteverde Cloud Forest of Costa Rica. They are notable for their ability to curl themselves into a nearly perfect ball as a defense. Their ecology is currently largely unknown, however adults can be found on the bark and branches of dead trees as well as on fungus.