Creek Pacer Ground Beetle vs Plantain Gall Weevil

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Creek Pacer Ground Beetle Plantain Gall Weevil
Scientific Name Chlaenius tricolor Mecinus pyraster
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Carabidae Curculionidae
Size 10-14 mm 3-4 mm
Habitat Rivers & Streams Grasslands
Diet Predators Gall Makers
Regions North America, from Canada to the southern United States Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Creek Pacer Ground Beetle

A handsome ground beetle with bright metallic green elytra, a bluish pronotum, and reddish-brown legs. It is commonly found near streams and rivers across North America.

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Did You Know?

Like other Chlaenius species, it produces a strong, distinctive odor from defensive glands that some collectors describe as smelling like leather or wet dog.

Plantain Gall Weevil

A small cylindrical weevil that causes stem galls on plantain. Larvae develop inside swollen plant stems. An inconspicuous but very common species.

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Did You Know?

Causes distinctive swellings on plantain stems that are easy to find even when the tiny weevil itself is not visible.