Atemeles Ant Guest Beetle vs Aposthonia Web Spinner

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Atemeles Ant Guest Beetle Aposthonia Web Spinner
Scientific Name Lomechusoides strumosus Aposthonia ceylonica
Order Coleoptera Embioptera
Family Staphylinidae Oligotomidae
Size 5-6 mm 7.0-11.0 mm
Habitat Woodlands Woodlands
Diet Parasites Gall Makers
Regions Central Europe Asia
Conservation Least Concern Not Evaluated

Atemeles Ant Guest Beetle

A parasitic rove beetle that lives in ant nests, switching between Formica and Myrmica host species seasonally. Its larvae are raised by ants alongside their own brood.

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Did You Know?

It migrates between two different ant species each year, overwintering with one and breeding with another.

Aposthonia Web Spinner

A web spinner from Sri Lanka and southern India found under bark and stones. It lives in communal silk galleries with multiple females.

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Did You Know?

Multiple females share interconnected silk galleries but each maintains her own brood chamber within the communal web.