Black Cocktail-Ant Rove Beetle vs North American Horntail

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Black Cocktail-Ant Rove Beetle North American Horntail
Scientific Name Lomechusa pubicollis Tremex columba
Order Coleoptera Hymenoptera
Family Staphylinidae Siricidae
Size 4-6 mm 25–50 mm
Habitat Woodlands Woodlands
Diet Omnivores Wood Feeders
Regions Europe, Northern Asia Eastern North America
Conservation Least Concern Not Evaluated

Black Cocktail-Ant Rove Beetle

A myrmecophilous rove beetle that lives inside ant nests. It secretes chemicals that trick ants into feeding and caring for it.

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Did You Know?

Its adoption glands produce substances so appealing to ants that they prioritize feeding the beetle over their own larvae.

North American Horntail

A large horntail wasp found across eastern North America. It attacks dead and dying hardwood trees such as beech, maple, and elm.

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Did You Know?

The parasitoid wasp Megarhyssa macrurus uses its extremely long ovipositor to reach horntail larvae deep inside wood.