Black Aphodius vs Fourteen-spotted Leaf Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Black Aphodius Fourteen-spotted Leaf Beetle
Scientific Name Aphodius fimetarius Propylea quatuordecimpunctata
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Scarabaeidae Coccinellidae
Size 5-8 mm 3-5mm
Habitat Farmland Farmland
Diet Dung Feeders Predators
Regions Europe, North America, Asia Europe, Asia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Black Aphodius

A small dweller dung beetle with a black head and pronotum and reddish-brown elytra. It lives directly within dung pats rather than tunneling or rolling. One of the most common and widespread dung beetles in the Northern Hemisphere.

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Did You Know?

Unlike roller and tunneler species, dwellers complete their entire life cycle within the dung pat itself.

Fourteen-spotted Leaf Beetle

A small yellow and black ladybird with a distinctive checkerboard pattern of rectangular black spots. It is an effective aphid predator.

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Did You Know?

Its unusual checkerboard pattern makes it one of the most recognizable ladybird species in Europe.