Hooked Stonefly vs Red-legged Shieldback Ground Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Hooked Stonefly Red-legged Shieldback Ground Beetle
Scientific Name Agnetina capitata Badister bullatus
Order Plecoptera Coleoptera
Family Perlidae Carabidae
Size 20-30 mm 5-7 mm
Habitat Rivers & Streams Farmland
Diet Predators Predators
Regions Eastern North America Europe, western Asia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Hooked Stonefly

A large, patterned stonefly of eastern North American rivers with distinctive hooked anal gills. Nymphs are active nocturnal predators under cobbles.

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Did You Know?

Its nymphs are nocturnal, hiding under rocks by day and actively hunting at night.

Red-legged Shieldback Ground Beetle

A small, attractively colored ground beetle with a reddish-orange head and legs contrasting with dark elytra. It is a snail egg predator found across Europe and known for its specialized diet.

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Did You Know?

It is one of the few ground beetle species that specializes in finding and eating slug and snail eggs underground, making it a valuable natural control for these garden pests.