Rarest scarab beetle

The rarest species of scarab beetle is the Cromwell chafer Prodontria lewisi, which – as of September 2016 – is the only scarab beetle presently classified as Critically Endangered by the IUCN. Following a steady decrease in distribution owing to its habitat's destruction, it is nowadays confined entirely to a single specifically designated 81-hectare nature reserve in central Otago, New Zealand, called the Cromwell Chafer Beetle Nature Reserve, consisting of low sand dunes on the Cromwell River terrace. Moreover, recent surveys suggest that only around 12% of this reserve is actually being utilized by the beetles. Currently, the total number of Cromwell chafers here is estimated to be around 3,000 individuals. A large flightless species with pale red elytra (wing cases), it lives principally underground, only emerging for a few hours during humid nights in spring and summer in order to feed upon plant material.

Scarabs were famously venerated in ancient Egypt as a representation of Khepri, the god of the rising sun, and they also came to symbolise transformation, renewal and resurrection. They were depicted in art, sculpture, jewellery and many other media, including ivory, precious metals and even bone – a somewhat unexpected example of animal veneration, bearing in mind that Egypt's scarab is, in fact, a dung beetle that feeds primarily upon dung.