Alpine Click Beetle vs African Soldier Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Alpine Click Beetle African Soldier Beetle
Scientific Name Hypnoidus rivularius Cantharis africana
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Elateridae Cantharidae
Size 5-7 mm 8-12 mm
Habitat Mountains Heathland
Diet Root Feeders Predators
Regions Northern Europe, Alps, Scandinavia Africa, Eastern Africa, Southern Africa
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Alpine Click Beetle

A small, dark click beetle found in damp alpine and subalpine habitats. Its larvae develop in moist soil among grass roots.

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Did You Know?

Like all click beetles, it can launch itself into the air with an audible click to escape predators.

African Soldier Beetle

A soft-bodied soldier beetle from Sub-Saharan Africa with orange-brown elytra and a darker head region. Like other cantharids, it has flexible elytra and is an active predator of small insects on flowers.

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Did You Know?

Soldier beetles are important pollinators in their own right, transferring pollen between flowers as they hunt for prey.