Lesser Silver Water Beetle vs Confused Flour Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Lesser Silver Water Beetle Confused Flour Beetle
Scientific Name Hydrochara flavipes Tribolium confusum
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Hydrophilidae Tenebrionidae
Size 12-16 mm 3-4 mm
Habitat Ponds & Lakes Indoors
Diet Scavengers Seed Feeders
Regions East Asia Worldwide
Conservation Least Concern Not Evaluated

Lesser Silver Water Beetle

A medium-sized water scavenger beetle found in still waters across East Asia. Its legs have distinctive yellowish tarsi.

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Did You Know?

It is commonly encountered in rice paddies where it helps break down organic matter in the flooded fields.

Confused Flour Beetle

A small reddish-brown beetle nearly identical to the red flour beetle, hence the 'confused' name. It is a worldwide pest of stored flour.

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Did You Know?

It was named 'confused' because entomologists kept confusing it with the red flour beetle.