Four-Spotted Hister Beetle vs Railroad Worm
Side-by-side species comparison
| Attribute | Four-Spotted Hister Beetle | Railroad Worm |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Hister quadrimaculatus | Phrixothrix hirtus |
| Order | Coleoptera | Coleoptera |
| Family | Histeridae | Phengodidae |
| Size | 5-7 mm | 30-65 mm (larvae) |
| Habitat | Heathland | Underground |
| Diet | Dung Feeders | Omnivores |
| Regions | Europe | South America |
| 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.
Railroad Worm
A beetle larva with 11 pairs of green-glowing lateral organs and a red-glowing headlamp — the only land animal that produces two different colors of bioluminescence simultaneously.
Did You Know?
The railroad worm is the only terrestrial animal that glows in two colors at once — green along its sides like railway car windows and red on its head like a locomotive.