Green Metallic Tunneler vs Wallace's Long-Armed Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Green Metallic Tunneler Wallace's Long-Armed Beetle
Scientific Name Onitis alexis Cheirotonus parryi
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Scarabaeidae Euchiridae
Size 14-22 mm 50-80 mm
Habitat Farmland Mountains
Diet Dung Feeders Sap Feeders
Regions Africa, introduced to Australia Southeast Asia (Borneo, Malaysia)
Conservation Least Concern Not Evaluated

Green Metallic Tunneler

A medium-sized tunneling dung beetle with a metallic green pronotum and dark brown elytra. Males have an enlarged prothorax. It constructs vertical tunnels beneath cattle dung and is nocturnal.

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Did You Know?

Introduced to Australia in the 1980s, this species was specifically targeted for its ability to handle cattle dung in tropical climates.

Wallace's Long-Armed Beetle

A large, rare beetle with extremely elongated forelegs in males. Named for the naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace who first described it.

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Did You Know?

Males' front legs can be longer than their entire body, used for gripping females during mating.