Punctate Sweat Bee vs Southern Rove Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Punctate Sweat Bee Southern Rove Beetle
Scientific Name Lasioglossum punctatissimum Philonthus spinipes
Order Hymenoptera Coleoptera
Family Halictidae Staphylinidae
Size 5-6 mm 8-11 mm
Habitat Grasslands Grasslands
Diet Nectar Feeders Predators
Regions Europe, Western Asia Mediterranean Europe, North Africa
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Punctate Sweat Bee

A tiny, dark furrow bee with dense punctation covering its thorax and head. It is one of the most common but overlooked solitary bees in European grasslands.

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Did You Know?

Its heavily sculpted exoskeleton with thousands of tiny pits gives it a matte finish that distinguishes it from shinier related species.

Southern Rove Beetle

A shiny, black rove beetle with distinctive spiny hind tibiae. It is a fast-running predator commonly found under stones and debris in drier, warmer habitats of southern Europe.

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Did You Know?

The spiny tibiae that give this species its name are used as weapons in combat with rival males over territory and mates.