Clown Beetle vs Red-legged Buprestis

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Clown Beetle Red-legged Buprestis
Scientific Name Hister unicolor Buprestis rufipes
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Histeridae Buprestidae
Size 6-9 mm 18-28 mm
Habitat Farmland Woodlands
Diet Scavengers Wood Feeders
Regions Europe, North America Europe
Conservation Least Concern Near Threatened

Clown Beetle

A small, shiny black beetle with a compact, rounded body. It is a predator of fly larvae found in dung and decaying matter.

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Did You Know?

It can retract its legs and antennae into grooves on its body, making it nearly spherical.

Red-legged Buprestis

A large metallic green European jewel beetle with distinctive red legs. Adults bask on sun-warmed timber and tree trunks.

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Did You Know?

Adults have been recorded emerging from timber in buildings decades after the wood was installed.