Arctic Aphid vs Striped Crawling Water Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Arctic Aphid Striped Crawling Water Beetle
Scientific Name Acyrthosiphon svalbardicum Haliplus lineaticollis
Order Hemiptera Coleoptera
Family Aphididae Haliplidae
Size 1-3 mm 3-4 mm
Habitat Tundra & Arctic Wetlands
Diet Herbivores Herbivores
Regions Svalbard, Arctic Scandinavia, Greenland Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Arctic Aphid

A small, pale green aphid that is one of the most northerly herbivorous insects on Earth. It feeds on the sap of Dryas octopetala and other Arctic plants. Populations are entirely parthenogenetic in the High Arctic.

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Did You Know?

This aphid reproduces entirely without mating in the Arctic, producing live young that are clones of the mother.

Striped Crawling Water Beetle

A small yellowish-brown beetle with distinctive dark longitudinal stripes on the pronotum. It is commonly found in weedy ponds and marshes throughout Europe.

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Did You Know?

Larvae have an unusual body form with long lateral projections that help them cling to algal mats.