Four-Spotted Hister Beetle vs Velvet Tree Ant

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Four-Spotted Hister Beetle Velvet Tree Ant
Scientific Name Hister quadrimaculatus Liometopum occidentale
Order Coleoptera Hymenoptera
Family Histeridae Formicidae
Size 5-7 mm 3-6 mm
Habitat Heathland Heathland
Diet Dung Feeders Omnivores
Regions Europe North 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.

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Did You Know?

It typically arrives at fresh dung within the first hour and remains for several days until the pat dries out.

Velvet Tree Ant

A large ant that nests in oak trees and produces a distinctive trail pheromone odor.

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Did You Know?

Columns of these ants march in conspicuous trails up and down tree trunks.