Northern Ground Beetle vs Papua New Guinea Jewel Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Northern Ground Beetle Papua New Guinea Jewel Beetle
Scientific Name Pelophila borealis Chrysochroa mniszechii
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Carabidae Buprestidae
Size 10-14 mm 25-40 mm
Habitat Tundra & Arctic Forests
Diet Predators Wood Feeders
Regions Scandinavia, Finland, northern Russia, Siberia, Arctic Canada, Alaska Oceania (Papua New Guinea)
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Northern Ground Beetle

A medium-sized, dark metallic green or bronze ground beetle with long legs. It is an active predator on riverbanks and lakeshores in Arctic regions. Adults run rapidly across muddy substrates hunting small invertebrates.

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Did You Know?

This beetle can withstand brief submersion in near-freezing water and quickly resumes hunting once it reaches dry ground.

Papua New Guinea Jewel Beetle

A spectacularly colourful jewel beetle found in Papua New Guinea, with an iridescent metallic body that shifts between green, blue, and purple. Like all buprestids, its larvae are wood borers. Adults are found on logs and tree trunks in tropical forest.

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Did You Know?

The brilliant metallic colours of jewel beetles are caused by thin-film interference in layered structures within their exoskeleton, inspiring biomimetic research in optics.