Narrow-bordered Bombardier vs Narrow-mouth Ground Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Narrow-bordered Bombardier Narrow-mouth Ground Beetle
Scientific Name Brachinus sclopeta Abax parallelepipedus
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Carabidae Carabidae
Size 6-9 mm 18-22 mm
Habitat Rivers & Streams Woodlands
Diet Omnivores Predators
Regions Mediterranean Europe, North Africa Western and Central Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Narrow-bordered Bombardier

A Mediterranean bombardier beetle with a narrow body and orange-brown coloring. It shelters communally under stones in dry habitats.

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Did You Know?

Groups of up to 100 individuals have been found sheltering together under a single stone.

Narrow-mouth Ground Beetle

A large, shiny black ground beetle with a distinctive parallel-sided body shape. It is one of the most common large carabids in European woodlands, active at night under logs and stones.

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Did You Know?

Its perfectly rectangular body shape is so precise and regular that it was given the species name 'parallelepipedus,' meaning resembling a geometric parallelepiped.