Scarabaeidae
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- noun
- /ˌskɛrəˈbeɪɪdiː/
- Specialized
- Many species of Scarabaeidae play an essential role in recycling nutrients by breaking down dung.
Examples
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The Scarabaeidae family includes well-known types of beetles that thrive in various environments.
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Scarabaeidae.
Academic text (2005) -
Gardeners appreciate the presence of Scarabaeidae in their soil, as they help aerate and enrich it.
Synonyms
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A large group of beetles like scarabs that often eat dung or rotting plants
Compounds
- Specialized
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A large group of beetles like scarabs that often eat dung or rotting plants
Surface Forms
Morphology
Scarabaeidae = scarab (opaque) = scarabae + idae
The taxonomic suffix '-idae' marks a biological family and is specialized knowledge; learners cannot reliably infer 'family of scarab beetles' from 'scarab' + '-idae'.
Etymology
Scarabaeidae comes from scarab, the beetle famous in Ancient Egypt, and the ending -idae, which means 'family' in animal names. So Scarabaeidae literally means the 'scarab family', which is why it names the group of scarab or dung beetles.