North American Alderfly vs Viennese Ground Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute North American Alderfly Viennese Ground Beetle
Scientific Name Sialis infumata Carabus fabricii
Order Megaloptera Coleoptera
Family Sialidae Carabidae
Size 15-20 mm wingspan 22-30 mm
Habitat Rivers & Streams Forests
Diet Predators Predators
Regions Eastern North America Eastern Alps, Carpathians
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

North American Alderfly

A small, dark-winged alderfly common near ponds and slow streams across eastern North America. Adults are clumsy fliers often found resting on streamside plants.

💡

Did You Know?

Larvae spend one to two years burrowing in pond mud before emerging for a brief adult life of just days.

Viennese Ground Beetle

A large metallic ground beetle of mountain forests and alpine meadows. It is a powerful predator of earthworms and snails.

💡

Did You Know?

It can spray a pungent defensive fluid from glands near its abdomen.