Dingy Skipper vs Long-horned Ant-loving Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Dingy Skipper Long-horned Ant-loving Beetle
Scientific Name Erynnis tages Claviger longicornis
Order Lepidoptera Coleoptera
Family Hesperiidae Staphylinidae
Size 27-34 mm wingspan 2-3 mm
Habitat Grasslands Underground
Diet Omnivores Omnivores
Regions Europe, temperate Asia Central and Southern Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Dingy Skipper

A small, moth-like butterfly with mottled grey-brown wings that rests with wings spread flat. It is easily overlooked due to its drab colouration.

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Did You Know?

On cool days it basks with wings open like a moth rather than holding them upright like most butterflies.

Long-horned Ant-loving Beetle

A minute, blind pselaphine rove beetle with elongate antennae relative to its body size. Like its congeners, it is an obligate myrmecophile entirely dependent on host ants for nutrition.

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Did You Know?

The elongate antennae of this blind beetle serve as its primary sensory organs for navigating the total darkness of its underground ant-nest home.