Balearic Green Lizard Beetle vs Sand-Loving Hister Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Balearic Green Lizard Beetle Sand-Loving Hister Beetle
Scientific Name Timarcha balearica Hypocaccus rugifrons
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Chrysomelidae Histeridae
Size 10-18 mm 2-4 mm
Habitat Heathland Beaches & Coastal
Diet Herbivores Predators
Regions Balearic Islands Europe, Mediterranean coasts
Conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern

Balearic Green Lizard Beetle

A large flightless leaf beetle endemic to the Balearic Islands. It is black with a bluish-purple sheen and exudes red hemolymph when disturbed.

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Did You Know?

When handled, it bleeds red fluid from its leg joints in a defensive behavior called reflex bleeding.

Sand-Loving Hister Beetle

A small, reddish-brown hister beetle found in sandy coastal habitats. It hunts fly larvae in seaweed wrack and stranded carrion.

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Did You Know?

It buries itself in sand beneath rotting kelp during the day and emerges at night to hunt fly larvae in the wrack.