Bordered Great Diving Beetle vs Thief Ant

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Bordered Great Diving Beetle Thief Ant
Scientific Name Dytiscus circumflexus Solenopsis molesta
Order Coleoptera Hymenoptera
Family Dytiscidae Formicidae
Size 28-34 mm 1-2 mm
Habitat Ponds & Lakes Woodlands
Diet Omnivores Omnivores
Regions Europe North America
Conservation Near Threatened Not Evaluated

Bordered Great Diving Beetle

A large British diving beetle similar to D. marginalis but with expanded yellow margins. It prefers larger, more permanent water bodies.

💡

Did You Know?

Females have deeply grooved elytra while males have smooth ones, making the sexes easy to distinguish.

Thief Ant

One of the smallest ant species in North America, nesting near larger ant colonies to steal food and brood. Their tiny size allows them to enter other nests through passages too small for defenders.

💡

Did You Know?

They are so small they can live inside the walls of other ant nests for extended periods without being detected.