Eastern Hercules Flower Beetle vs Lesser Silver Water Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Eastern Hercules Flower Beetle Lesser Silver Water Beetle
Scientific Name Mecynorrhina polyphemus Hydrochara flavipes
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Scarabaeidae Hydrophilidae
Size 40-80 mm 12-16 mm
Habitat Forests Ponds & Lakes
Diet Sap Feeders Scavengers
Regions West and Central Africa East Asia
Conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern

Eastern Hercules Flower Beetle

A large African flower beetle with variable coloration from green to brown. Males have a short forked horn on the head.

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Did You Know?

Named after the cyclops Polyphemus due to the single horn on the male's head resembling a central eye.

Lesser Silver Water Beetle

A medium-sized water scavenger beetle found in still waters across East Asia. Its legs have distinctive yellowish tarsi.

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Did You Know?

It is commonly encountered in rice paddies where it helps break down organic matter in the flooded fields.