High-altitude Midge vs Bornean Thick-legged Flower Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute	High-altitude Midge	Bornean Thick-legged Flower Beetle
Scientific Name	Diamesa latitarsis	Cheirotonus battareli
Order	Diptera	Coleoptera
Family	Chironomidae	Scarabaeidae
Size	2-4 mm body length	50-80 mm
Habitat	Mountains	Mountains
Diet	Omnivores	Fruit Feeders
Regions	Alps, Carpathians, Scandinavia	Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Laos, Thailand)
Conservation	Least Concern	Vulnerable

High-altitude Midge

A small, dark midge whose larvae inhabit the coldest alpine streams. It has unusually broad tarsi adapted for walking on wet rocks.

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Did You Know?

Its broad feet allow it to grip wet rocks in fast-flowing glacial streams.

Bornean Thick-legged Flower Beetle

A large, striking flower beetle with metallic green elytra and enormously thickened front legs in males. The oversized forelegs are used to grasp and grapple during male combat.

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Did You Know?

Males with the largest forelegs win more mating opportunities, driving an evolutionary arms race for ever-larger leg size.