African Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle vs Bloody-Nosed Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute African Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle Bloody-Nosed Beetle
Scientific Name Oryctes monoceros Timarcha tenebricosa
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Scarabaeidae Chrysomelidae
Size 30-50 mm 10-20 mm
Habitat Farmland Hedgerows
Diet Herbivores Omnivores
Regions East Africa (Kenya coast, Tanzania coast, Uganda) Western Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

African Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle

A robust, dark chestnut-brown beetle with a single curved horn on the male's head. It is a significant pest of coconut and oil palm plantations along the East African coast.

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Did You Know?

Adults are primarily active at night and are strongly attracted to lights, which is used as a basis for light-trap monitoring programs.

Bloody-Nosed Beetle

A large, flightless, domed black beetle that oozes red fluid from its mouth when threatened. The secretion contains distasteful chemicals.

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Did You Know?

The red defensive fluid is actually hemolymph, the beetle equivalent of blood.