Fire Beetle vs Hercules Flower Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Fire Beetle Hercules Flower Beetle
Scientific Name Pyrophorus divergens Mecynorrhina harrisi
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Elateridae Scarabaeidae
Size 20-30 mm 40-65 mm
Habitat Forests Forests
Diet Wood Feeders Fruit Feeders
Regions Central America, South America Central Africa (DRC, Congo, Cameroon)
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.

Hercules Flower Beetle

A large cetoniine beetle with dark greenish-black coloration and yellow markings on the pronotum. Males possess a forked horn used in combat. It is found in tropical forest canopy where it feeds on fruit and sap.

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Did You Know?

During mating season, males will fight for hours on a branch, each trying to pry the other off using their forked horns.