Coprophanaeus ensifer is a large South American species of beetle belonging to the family Scarabaeidae.

This species may be of importance in forensic science due to its destructive behavior on decaying bodies, especially in areas of Brazil where homicide rates are high.

C. ensifer vary in color and distribution, which has created uncertainty and barriers in its taxonomy within the Coprophanaeus genus.

Based on this, researchers have suggested Scarabaeinae beetles came to South America from Africa through colonization of the common ancestor of Sarophorus sp.

[2][5] A relates species, C. lancifer occupies northern Brazil, limiting the distribution of C. ensifer in those regions.

[8] A study found that in Northeast Brazil, C. ensifer is more active during the rainy season, when temperatures drop.

Another potential explanation could be that males take advantage of females who have started building burrows, so that they can avoid digging tunnels.

[7] The size of the mitogenome of C. ensifer is 14,964 bp organized into rRNA, tRNA, and protein coding genes, which is similar to species in the Coleptera order.

[14] It has been observed that while the mounting occurs, the male strokes the abdominal tergum with his legs so that the female can reveal her genital opening.

The horn has been suggested to play roles in sexual selection, defense, as a tool for building burrows, or during conflict between individuals.

Specifically, females may have evolved the horn to defend their burrow since they can only have a limited number of offspring due to their small reproductive system.

Those near the Amazon Rainforest exhibit bluer and darker colors while those near in the Atlantic Forest have green and brighter patterns.

In the Cerrado, or the Brazilian savanna, beetles exhibit a variety of reflexes ranging from green to blue to red.

Although the significance of the iridescence of C. ensifer has not been examined, it has been suggested to be a mechanism for a variety of things like defense against predators, sexual selection, or signaling.

Homicide rates in Brazil have increased over the years, and necrophagous species have been associated with determining post-mortem information about cadavers.

Although the distribution and diet of these species is understood, the actual use of the information in investigations is not well established in Brazil’s forensic systems.