Blue Carpenter Bee vs Bornean Flat-horned Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Blue Carpenter Bee Bornean Flat-horned Beetle
Scientific Name Xylocopa caerulea Gnaphaloryx squalidus
Order Hymenoptera Coleoptera
Family Apidae Lucanidae
Size 20-23 mm 20-35 mm
Habitat Woodlands Woodlands
Diet Wood Feeders Wood Feeders
Regions Asia Southeast Asia (Borneo, Malaysia, Indonesia)
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Blue Carpenter Bee

A striking large bee with brilliant blue iridescent coloring. Nests in dead wood by boring tunnels. Despite their intimidating size, they are generally docile and rarely sting.

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Did You Know?

The blue carpenter bee is one of the few truly blue bees in the world — its stunning metallic blue coloring comes from structural nanostructures rather than pigment.

Bornean Flat-horned Beetle

A compact stag beetle with a broad, flattened body perfectly adapted for living under bark. It is dark reddish-brown with flattened mandibles and ridged elytra for grip in tight spaces.

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Did You Know?

Its extremely flat body allows it to squeeze into crevices less than 5 mm wide between bark and wood.