Northern Cave Ground Beetle vs Ancient Greenling

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Northern Cave Ground Beetle Ancient Greenling
Scientific Name Pseudanophthalmus menetriesi Hemiphlebia mirabilis
Order Coleoptera Odonata
Family Carabidae Hemiphlebiidae
Size 4-6 mm 20-25 mm
Habitat Caves Wetlands
Diet Predators Predators
Regions Appalachian region, eastern United States Oceania
Conservation Vulnerable Endangered

Northern Cave Ground Beetle

A small, blind, unpigmented cave beetle from the limestone caves of the Appalachian region. The genus contains over 250 species, most known from single cave systems.

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Did You Know?

The genus Pseudanophthalmus contains over 250 described cave beetle species, most from single caves, making it the most species-rich genus of cave animals in the world.

Ancient Greenling

The sole surviving member of one of the most ancient damselfly families on Earth.

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Did You Know?

It is considered a living fossil and the most phylogenetically isolated odonate alive.