Flat Bark Hister Beetle vs Dark Bush-cricket

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Flat Bark Hister Beetle Dark Bush-cricket
Scientific Name Hololepta plana Pholidoptera griseoaptera
Order Coleoptera Orthoptera
Family Histeridae Tettigoniidae
Size 7-10 mm 15-20mm
Habitat Woodlands Woodlands
Diet Wood Feeders Omnivores
Regions Eastern North America Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Flat Bark Hister Beetle

An extremely flattened, disc-like black beetle found under bark of dead trees. Its body is compressed to fit in the narrow space between bark and wood.

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Did You Know?

Its body is so flat it can squeeze into gaps less than 2 mm wide to pursue prey under tight-fitting bark.

Dark Bush-cricket

A robust dark brown bush-cricket with vestigial wings. It is common in hedgerows and woodland edges across Europe. Males produce a short sharp chirp repeated at regular intervals.

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Did You Know?

Despite being flightless, it has been steadily expanding northward in Europe, likely driven by climate warming.