Long-horned Ant-loving Beetle vs Xyelid Sawfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Long-horned Ant-loving Beetle Xyelid Sawfly
Scientific Name Claviger longicornis Xyela julii
Order Coleoptera Hymenoptera
Family Staphylinidae Xyelidae
Size 2-3 mm 3-5 mm
Habitat Underground Underground
Diet Omnivores Pollen Feeders
Regions Central and Southern Europe Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Long-horned Ant-loving Beetle

A minute, blind pselaphine rove beetle with elongate antennae relative to its body size. Like its congeners, it is an obligate myrmecophile entirely dependent on host ants for nutrition.

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Did You Know?

The elongate antennae of this blind beetle serve as its primary sensory organs for navigating the total darkness of its underground ant-nest home.

Xyelid Sawfly

A tiny, delicate sawfly with a characteristic elongated third antennal segment. It is one of the most primitive living Hymenoptera, with fossils dating back to the Triassic.

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Did You Know?

Xyelidae is the oldest extant family of Hymenoptera, with fossils known from over 200 million years ago.