Giant Black Water Beetle vs Wandering Glider

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Giant Black Water Beetle Wandering Glider
Scientific Name Hydrophilus triangularis Pantala hymenaea
Order Coleoptera Odonata
Family Hydrophilidae Libellulidae
Size 34-40 mm 46-52mm
Habitat Ponds & Lakes Farmland
Diet Predators Predators
Regions North America North America, South America, Asia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Giant Black Water Beetle

The largest water beetle in North America, with a shiny black oval body. Larvae are voracious predators while adults are mainly plant feeders.

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Did You Know?

It carries a bubble of air beneath its body like a silvery film, which it replenishes at the surface.

Wandering Glider

A medium-sized dragonfly with broad hindwings and a yellowish body. It spends almost its entire life on the wing, rarely perching. It breeds in temporary rain pools.

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Did You Know?

It can develop from egg to adult in as little as 38 days, one of the fastest development times of any dragonfly.