Kaup Bess Beetle vs Coral Pink Sand Dunes Tiger Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Kaup Bess Beetle Coral Pink Sand Dunes Tiger Beetle
Scientific Name Passalus interstitialis Cicindela albissima
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Passalidae Carabidae
Size 30-40 mm 11-13 mm
Habitat Woodlands Deserts & Drylands
Diet Wood Feeders Predators
Regions Central America, Mexico Kane County, Utah, United States
Conservation Least Concern Endangered

Kaup Bess Beetle

A large, elongate, shiny black bess beetle with prominent mandibles and longitudinal grooves on the elytra. It is the most common Passalid in Central America. Colonies of adults and larvae inhabit decaying logs.

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Did You Know?

Bess beetles are subsocial insects where parents and offspring live together and cooperate in maintaining their log galleries.

Coral Pink Sand Dunes Tiger Beetle

A nearly white tiger beetle perfectly camouflaged against the pink-white sand dunes of its sole habitat in southern Utah. It is one of the most narrowly endemic tiger beetles in the world.

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Did You Know?

Its entire world population occupies about 365 acres of sand dunes in Utah, and off-road vehicle recreation in the dunes is the primary threat to its survival.