New Zealand Tiger Beetle vs African Stag Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute New Zealand Tiger Beetle African Stag Beetle
Scientific Name Neocicindela tuberculata Prosopocoilus savagei
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Cicindelidae Lucanidae
Size 10-14 mm 35-65 mm
Habitat Deserts & Drylands Forests
Diet Predators Wood Feeders
Regions Oceania (New Zealand) West Africa, Central Africa
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

New Zealand Tiger Beetle

An endemic tiger beetle found on sandy and clay soils throughout New Zealand. It is an active visual predator that runs down prey on bare ground. The larvae are ambush predators that live in vertical burrows in the soil.

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Did You Know?

New Zealand tiger beetles run so fast relative to their size that they temporarily go blind during pursuit, having to stop and re-locate their prey before sprinting again.

African Stag Beetle

A dark reddish-brown stag beetle with impressive mandibles in males. It inhabits forests where larvae develop in rotting wood.

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Did You Know?

Males lock mandibles and wrestle each other off branches to compete for mating rights.