Red-Tipped Tumbling Flower Beetle vs Tiger Bee Fly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Red-Tipped Tumbling Flower Beetle Tiger Bee Fly
Scientific Name Mordellina pustulata Xenox tigrinus
Order Coleoptera Diptera
Family Mordellidae Bombyliidae
Size 3-5 mm 12-18 mm
Habitat Meadows Woodlands
Diet Parasitoids Parasitoids
Regions Europe North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Red-Tipped Tumbling Flower Beetle

A small tumbling flower beetle with dark elytra bearing reddish markings, found across Europe. Larvae develop inside the stems of composite plants.

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Did You Know?

Its larvae bore through the pith of thistle stems, pupating inside and emerging as adults through a neat exit hole.

Tiger Bee Fly

A large, dramatic bee fly with boldly patterned black and white spotted wings. It is commonly seen flying around wooden structures where its host carpenter bees nest.

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Did You Know?

Females hover at carpenter bee nest entrances and flick eggs inside while the bee is away foraging.