Malagasy Aquatic Beetle vs Dung Beetle (Rainbow)

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Malagasy Aquatic Beetle Dung Beetle (Rainbow)
Scientific Name Hydrophilus madagascariensis Phanaeus vindex
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Hydrophilidae Scarabaeidae
Size 30-40 mm 12-22 mm
Habitat Rivers & Streams Farmland
Diet Predators Dung Feeders
Regions Madagascar North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Malagasy Aquatic Beetle

A large, shiny black aquatic beetle with a streamlined oval body. It carries a bubble of air beneath its body for underwater breathing and swims with alternating leg strokes.

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Did You Know?

Despite being called water scavenger beetles, the larvae are fierce predators of snails, tadpoles, and other aquatic invertebrates.

Dung Beetle (Rainbow)

One of the most beautiful dung beetles with iridescent metallic copper, green, and blue coloring. Males have a prominent horn. Despite working with dung, they are stunningly beautiful.

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Did You Know?

Rainbow scarab beetles are living proof that working with dung does not mean looking dull — they are among the most brilliantly metallic and colorful of all beetles.