Cowpea Weevil vs Giant Black Water Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Cowpea Weevil Giant Black Water Beetle
Scientific Name Callosobruchus maculatus Hydrophilus triangularis
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Chrysomelidae Hydrophilidae
Size 2-4 mm 34-40 mm
Habitat Farmland Ponds & Lakes
Diet Seed Feeders Predators
Regions Africa (native), pantropical, cosmopolitan North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Cowpea Weevil

A small, reddish-brown to dark beetle with mottled elytra and a prominent pygidium bearing two dark spots. It is one of the most destructive pests of stored cowpeas and other pulses.

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Did You Know?

Females glue their eggs directly onto the surface of bean seeds, and the larvae bore into the seed immediately upon hatching.

Giant Black Water Beetle

The largest water beetle in North America, with a shiny black oval body. Larvae are voracious predators while adults are mainly plant feeders.

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Did You Know?

It carries a bubble of air beneath its body like a silvery film, which it replenishes at the surface.