Ant-Nest Hister Beetle vs Brown-and-yellow Fruit Chafer

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Ant-Nest Hister Beetle Brown-and-yellow Fruit Chafer
Scientific Name Hetaerius ferrugineus Pachnoda marginata
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Histeridae Scarabaeidae
Size 1.5-2.5 mm 20-28 mm
Habitat Woodlands Forests
Diet Detritivores Sap Feeders
Regions Europe, North America West Africa, Central Africa
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Ant-Nest Hister Beetle

A tiny, reddish-brown hister beetle that lives exclusively inside ant nests. It is tolerated by its ant hosts and feeds on detritus and small arthropods.

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Did You Know?

It produces appeasement chemicals from thoracic glands that prevent ants from attacking it inside the colony.

Brown-and-yellow Fruit Chafer

A colorful chafer beetle with bright yellow margins on dark brown elytra. It is commonly kept in captivity and bred as a feeder insect.

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Did You Know?

Their larvae are widely used as food for pet reptiles and are easy to breed in captivity.