Four-Spotted Carrion Beetle vs Kaup Bess Beetle
Side-by-side species comparison
| Attribute | Four-Spotted Carrion Beetle | Kaup Bess Beetle |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Dendroxena quadrimaculata | Passalus interstitialis |
| Order | Coleoptera | Coleoptera |
| Family | Silphidae | Passalidae |
| Size | 12-16 mm | 30-40 mm |
| Habitat | Grasslands | Woodlands |
| Diet | Predators | Wood Feeders |
| Regions | Europe, Western Asia | Central America, Mexico |
| 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.
Kaup Bess Beetle
A large, elongate, shiny black bess beetle with prominent mandibles and longitudinal grooves on the elytra. It is the most common Passalid in Central America. Colonies of adults and larvae inhabit decaying logs.
Did You Know?
Bess beetles are subsocial insects where parents and offspring live together and cooperate in maintaining their log galleries.