Blue Death-feigning Beetle vs American False Blister Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Blue Death-feigning Beetle American False Blister Beetle
Scientific Name Asbolus verrucosus Oxacis taeniata
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Tenebrionidae Oedemeridae
Size 18-21mm 6-10 mm
Habitat Deserts & Drylands Woodlands
Diet Detritivores Wood Feeders
Regions North America Eastern North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Blue Death-feigning Beetle

A rounded blue-grey desert beetle covered in a waxy powder-blue coating. When threatened it flips onto its back and plays dead with legs extended stiffly.

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Did You Know?

Its death-feigning behavior is so convincing that predators lose interest and the beetle can remain motionless for hours.

American False Blister Beetle

A small, elongate pale beetle with dark longitudinal stripes found in eastern North America. Adults are commonly attracted to lights on summer nights.

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Did You Know?

Larvae develop inside dead and decaying logs, helping to recycle nutrients back into the forest floor.