Onitis belial Fabricius, 1798 : état des connaissances historiques et actuelles sur la répartition de ce coléoptère coprophage remarquable de la faune de France (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Scarabaeinae)

Onitis belial Fabricius, 1798: state of historical and current knowledge on the distribution of this remarkable coprophagous beetle of the French fauna (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Scarabaeinae). Onitis belial Fabricius, 1798, is a coprophagous beetle endemic to the western Mediterranean basin. To the best of entomological memory, the species has always been rare and locally distributed in the southern France; however, this scarab beetle has disappeared from most of the localities where it was known at the beginning of the 20th century. The aim of this study is to provide an overview of the available knowledge on the historical and current distribution of O. belial in France, based on a review of the literature and field surveys conducted between 2019 and 2024. We discuss the vulnerability of this species, which today persists only in two highly localised and fragmented populations, in the Rhône delta and in the Albères massif at the Spanish border. We highlight the need for further research in order to provide a better assessment of the conservation status of this remarkable beetle of the French entomofauna.