Latin Name:  Aphodius (Teuchestes) fossor Linnaeus, 1758
                        (R. Bercha, det., confirmed by Dr. K. Floate)

Length: 9-12 mm

Range: Southern Alberta

Habitat: Open pastures with cattle dung

Time of year seen:  Spring to Fall (Additional Sightings)

Diet: Organic matter, roots and dung

Other:  An introduced European species found across North America.  It is Alberta's largest species of Aphodius.  A. fossor is a general surface feeder on cattle dung. (Gordon, 1983)