---
title: "Springtime Dung Beetle"
description: "Trypocopris vernalis — Insects & spiders. Trypocopris vernalis (formerly classified in the genus Geotrupes as Geotrupes vernalis), sometimes known as the spring dor beetle, and occasionally referred to as the spring dumbledor, is a species of dung beetle in the family Geotrupidae."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/animal/springtime-dung-beetle
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Springtime Dung Beetle

> Trypocopris vernalis — Insects & spiders. Trypocopris vernalis (formerly classified in the genus Geotrupes as Geotrupes vernalis), sometimes known as the spring dor beetle, and occasionally referred to as the spring dumbledor, is a species of dung beetle in the family Geotrupidae.

- Scientific name: *Trypocopris vernalis*
- Category: `insects` (Insects & spiders)
- Habitats: `grassland` (Fields & meadows), `farm` (Farm)
- iNaturalist observations: 12661
- Wikidata: [Q18248781](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q18248781)
- iNaturalist taxon: [472829](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/472829)

## Names

- en: Springtime Dung Beetle
- de: Frühlingsmistkäfer
- fr: Bousier lisse

## Countries with the most observations

DE (2283), AT (1217), CZ (1130), PL (1053), DK (788), HU (698), SK (392), LT (264), NL (229), FR (213), HR (193), SI (141)

## Summary

Trypocopris vernalis (formerly classified in the genus Geotrupes as Geotrupes vernalis), sometimes known as the spring dor beetle, and occasionally referred to as the spring dumbledor, is a species of dung beetle in the family Geotrupidae. The beetle is black in colour and shows very low reflectance in the near-infrared part of the spectrum. The larvae feed on the dung of animals including sheep (Ovis aries) and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes).

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trypocopris_vernalis

## Photo

![Springtime Dung Beetle](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/springtime-dung-beetle/medium.jpg)

Photo: Marino Linić · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/117561391

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/springtime-dung-beetle?lang=en` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).