Black Clock Beetle vs Water-lily Reed Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Black Clock Beetle Water-lily Reed Beetle
Scientific Name Pterostichus madidus Donacia simplex
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Carabidae Chrysomelidae
Size 14-18 mm 7-9 mm
Habitat Gardens Ponds & Lakes
Diet Predators Herbivores
Regions Europe Europe, Asia, North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Black Clock Beetle

A common nocturnal ground beetle found throughout European gardens and farmland. It is jet black and a voracious predator of slugs and pest insects.

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Did You Know?

Gardeners consider it one of the most beneficial beetles because a single individual can eat its body weight in slug eggs every night.

Water-lily Reed Beetle

A metallic coppery-bronze aquatic beetle with longitudinal ridges on the elytra. Adults sit on floating leaves of pondweeds and bur-reeds in still or slow-flowing water.

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Did You Know?

Larvae construct a silken cocoon underwater attached to plant roots, filling it with air obtained from the plant's tissues for pupation.