Margined Burying Beetle vs Rainbow Stag Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Margined Burying Beetle Rainbow Stag Beetle
Scientific Name Nicrophorus marginatus Phalacrognathus muelleri
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Silphidae Lucanidae
Size 18-27 mm 25-70 mm
Habitat Grasslands Forests
Diet Carrion Feeders Wood Feeders
Regions North America Oceania
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Margined Burying Beetle

A burying beetle with thin orange marginal bands along the edges of its elytra. It is common in open grasslands and prairies of North America.

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Did You Know?

It can detect a mouse carcass from over a kilometre away by following the scent plume downwind.

Rainbow Stag Beetle

Australias most spectacularly colored beetle, with iridescent green, red, gold, and purple metallic coloring. Males have large curved mandibles with internal teeth.

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Did You Know?

This is widely considered the most beautiful stag beetle in the world — its rainbow metallic sheen shifts through green, gold, red, and purple depending on the angle of light.