Red-Breasted Carrion Beetle vs Hockeria Chalcid

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Red-Breasted Carrion Beetle Hockeria Chalcid
Scientific Name Oiceoptoma thoracicum Hockeria unicolor
Order Coleoptera Hymenoptera
Family Silphidae Chalcididae
Size 12-16 mm 4-6 mm
Habitat Grasslands Grasslands
Diet Carrion Feeders Parasitoids
Regions Europe, Northern Asia Europe
Conservation Least Concern Not Evaluated

Red-Breasted Carrion Beetle

A flattened black beetle with a broad, reddish-orange thorax found on carrion. Unlike burying beetles, it does not bury carcasses but feeds on them in place.

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Did You Know?

It is often the first beetle species to arrive at a carcass, sometimes appearing within minutes of death.

Hockeria Chalcid

A metallic dark parasitoid wasp that attacks the pupae of noctuid moths in the soil. It is found across Europe in grasslands and open habitats.

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Did You Know?

Females dig into the soil to find and parasitize cutworm moth pupae hidden several centimeters below the surface.