Brunner Stick Insect vs Polar Rove Beetle
Side-by-side species comparison
| Attribute | Brunner Stick Insect | Polar Rove Beetle |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Bruneria borealis | Atheta graminicola |
| Order | Phasmatodea | Coleoptera |
| Family | Phasmatidae | Staphylinidae |
| Size | 40-60mm | 2-4 mm |
| Habitat | Grasslands | Heathland |
| Diet | Herbivores | Herbivores |
| Regions | North America | Scandinavia, Finland, northern Russia, Iceland, subarctic Canada |
| Conservation | Least Concern | Least Concern |
Brunner Stick Insect
A small thin brown stick insect and one of the few phasmids native to cold temperate North America. It is wingless and matches dry grass stems perfectly. Males and females are similar in size.
Did You Know?
It is one of the few stick insects that can survive cold North American winters by laying cold-tolerant eggs in the soil.
Polar Rove Beetle
A tiny, elongate rove beetle with short wing covers and a flexible abdomen. It is dark brown to black and very agile. It lives among decaying vegetation and is a predator of mites and other small arthropods.
Did You Know?
Rove beetles like this species can raise their abdomens like scorpions to deter predators, though they have no stinger.