Four-Spotted Carrion Beetle vs Jet Beetle
Side-by-side species comparison
| Attribute | Four-Spotted Carrion Beetle | Jet Beetle |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Dendroxena quadrimaculata | Stenus comma |
| Order | Coleoptera | Coleoptera |
| Family | Silphidae | Staphylinidae |
| Size | 12-16 mm | 5-7 mm |
| Habitat | Grasslands | Ponds & Lakes |
| Diet | Predators | Predators |
| Regions | Europe, Western Asia | Europe, Northern Asia |
| Conservation | Least Concern | Least Concern |
Four-Spotted Carrion Beetle
A yellowish-brown beetle with four dark spots on its elytra, unusual for a silphid because it hunts in trees rather than on the ground. It climbs trunks searching for caterpillars.
Did You Know?
It is one of the only carrion beetles that has abandoned carrion feeding entirely, becoming an arboreal caterpillar predator.
Jet Beetle
A tiny, goggle-eyed rove beetle that hunts with a remarkable extendable labium tipped with adhesive pads. It can also skim across water surfaces using a unique chemical propulsion mechanism.
Did You Know?
Stenus beetles secrete stenusine from pygidial glands, which lowers water surface tension behind them, propelling them across water at speeds up to 70 cm per second.