Dark Soldier Beetle vs Brown-and-yellow Fruit Chafer

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute	Dark Soldier Beetle	Brown-and-yellow Fruit Chafer
Scientific Name	Cantharis obscura	Pachnoda marginata
Order	Coleoptera	Coleoptera
Family	Cantharidae	Scarabaeidae
Size	9-13 mm	20-28 mm
Habitat	Meadows	Forests
Diet	Pollen Feeders	Sap Feeders
Regions	Europe	West Africa, Central Africa
Conservation	Least Concern	Least Concern

Dark Soldier Beetle

A dark-colored European soldier beetle often found on umbelliferous flowers. Its entirely dark elytra distinguish it from the more colorful soldier beetle species.

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Did You Know?

Larvae are velvety black and hunt small invertebrates among leaf litter throughout the winter months.

Brown-and-yellow Fruit Chafer

A colorful chafer beetle with bright yellow margins on dark brown elytra. It is commonly kept in captivity and bred as a feeder insect.

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Did You Know?

Their larvae are widely used as food for pet reptiles and are easy to breed in captivity.