Giant African Click Beetle vs Ponderous Borer

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Giant African Click Beetle Ponderous Borer
Scientific Name Tetralobus flabellicornis Trichocnemis spiculatus
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Elateridae Cerambycidae
Size 40-60 mm 40-60 mm
Habitat Grasslands Ponds & Lakes
Diet Root Feeders Wood Feeders
Regions East Africa, Southern Africa Western United States, British Columbia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Giant African Click Beetle

Africa's largest click beetle, with impressive fan-shaped antennae in males. It can launch itself into the air with an audible click when placed on its back.

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Did You Know?

It can catapult itself up to 30 cm into the air using a spring-loaded peg on its thorax.

Ponderous Borer

One of the largest cerambycids in North America, this prionine breeds in the roots and lower trunks of dead ponderosa pines. Adults are dark brown with a somewhat rough body surface. They are nocturnal and attracted to lights.

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Did You Know?

Larval development can take up to six years in dry dead wood, one of the longest development times for any beetle.