The three dung beetle guilds telecoprids, paracoprids, and endocoprids are commonly known by which trio?

• A. Diggers, burrowers, and mountaineers
• B. Gatherers, feeders, and planters
• C. Rollers, tunnelers, and dwellers
• D. Carriers, joiners, and spinners

Answer: (C)

These dung beetle guilds are named for how they use dung. Telecoprids engage in rolling dung into balls and transporting them away from the original dung pat to bury or store them elsewhere, so they’re known as rollers. Paracoprids bury the dung below the pat, effectively creating underground tunnels as they work, which gives them the label tunnelers. Endocoprids stay within the dung pat itself, living inside the material rather than moving it, so they’re called dwellers. Because each name directly reflects that distinct behavior, the familiar trio used to describe these groups is rollers, tunnelers, and dwellers. The other names don’t map cleanly onto these characteristic behaviors, so they aren’t the standard trio used in entomology for these guilds.