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.
Katakana spelling is standard for this species name; usually written in kana.
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.