Four-Spotted Hister Beetle vs Arctic Woolly Bear Caterpillar Moth
Side-by-side species comparison
| Attribute | Four-Spotted Hister Beetle | Arctic Woolly Bear Caterpillar Moth |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Hister quadrimaculatus | Gynaephora rossii |
| Order | Coleoptera | Lepidoptera |
| Family | Histeridae | Erebidae |
| Size | 5-7 mm | 28-38 mm wingspan |
| Habitat | Heathland | Heathland |
| Diet | Dung Feeders | Herbivores |
| Regions | Europe | Canadian Arctic, Alaska, northern Siberia |
| Conservation | Least Concern | Least Concern |
Four-Spotted Hister Beetle
A glossy black hister beetle with four orange-red spots on its wing cases. It is associated with mammal dung in pastures and heathlands.
Did You Know?
It typically arrives at fresh dung within the first hour and remains for several days until the pat dries out.
Arctic Woolly Bear Caterpillar Moth
A close relative of the Greenland woolly bear, this moth has pale gray wings and a densely furred body. The caterpillar is covered in long dark hairs and freezes solid each winter. Adults have reduced mouthparts.
Did You Know?
This moth's caterpillar is parasitized at very high rates by ichneumon wasps, which may extend its already decade-long development even further.