Fire Beetle vs African Stingless Bee

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Fire Beetle African Stingless Bee
Scientific Name Pyrophorus divergens Meliponula bocandei
Order Coleoptera Hymenoptera
Family Elateridae Apidae
Size 20-30 mm 5-8 mm
Habitat Forests Forests
Diet Wood Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions Central America, South America West Africa, Central Africa
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Fire Beetle

A bioluminescent click beetle from Central American forests. Its glowing thoracic spots are visible from several meters away in total darkness.

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Did You Know?

Spanish conquistadors reported seeing forests glowing with thousands of these beetles and initially thought they were supernatural phenomena.

African Stingless Bee

A small dark stingless bee that nests in tree hollows and produces a prized thin honey. Colonies can number several thousand workers.

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Did You Know?

Their honey is traditionally valued in West African medicine and can sell for ten times the price of regular honey.