Common Whitetail vs Globular Ant-loving Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Common Whitetail Globular Ant-loving Beetle
Scientific Name Plathemis lydia Chennium bituberculatum
Order Odonata Coleoptera
Family Libellulidae Staphylinidae
Size 60-68 mm wingspan 1.5-2.5 mm
Habitat Ponds & Lakes Woodlands
Diet Predators Predators
Regions North America Mediterranean Europe, North Africa
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Common Whitetail

A stocky dragonfly where mature males sport a chalky white abdomen and dark wing bands. It is one of the most frequently observed dragonflies in North America.

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Did You Know?

Male common whitetails are extremely aggressive and will attack and chase away dragonflies much larger than themselves from their territories.

Globular Ant-loving Beetle

A small, rounded pselaphine rove beetle with a glossy chestnut-brown body and two prominent tubercles on the pronotum. It lives as a guest in the nests of various Tetramorium ant species.

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Did You Know?

The two tubercles on its thorax are actually glandular organs that produce secretions attractive to its host ants.