sacred scarab; Scarabaeus sacer
Refers specifically to the dung beetle species Scarabaeus sacer, known for rolling large balls of dung. The Japanese name literally means 'large-ball-rolling scarab'.
See also: スカラベ
The sacred scarab was considered a holy insect in ancient Egypt.
スカラベ is a broader loanword for 'scarab', while オオタマオシコガネ is the specific Japanese name for Scarabaeus sacer.
Kanji spelling is rare and mainly used in taxonomic or older texts.
Compound of 大玉 (large ball) + 押し (pushing) + 金亀子 (scarab beetle), describing the beetle's behavior of rolling large dung balls.