Hairy Whirligig Beetle vs Florida Carpenter Ant

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Hairy Whirligig Beetle Florida Carpenter Ant
Scientific Name Orectochilus villosus Camponotus floridanus
Order Coleoptera Hymenoptera
Family Gyrinidae Formicidae
Size 5-7 mm 5-11 mm
Habitat Rivers & Streams Woodlands
Diet Omnivores Omnivores
Regions Europe Southeastern United States
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Hairy Whirligig Beetle

A nocturnal whirligig beetle covered in fine golden hairs that trap air underwater. Unlike other whirligigs it hides under stones by day.

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Did You Know?

It is the only European whirligig beetle that is primarily nocturnal rather than diurnal.

Florida Carpenter Ant

A bicolored carpenter ant with a reddish-orange head and thorax and black abdomen. It is the most common structural pest ant in Florida.

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Did You Know?

Florida carpenter ants have among the largest genomes of any ant species studied, containing around 240 million base pairs.