Reed Beetle vs Tooth-Necked Fungus Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Reed Beetle Tooth-Necked Fungus Beetle
Scientific Name Donacia crassipes Bolitotherus cornutus
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Chrysomelidae Tenebrionidae
Size 9-12 mm 10-12 mm
Habitat Ponds & Lakes Woodlands
Diet Root Feeders Fungus Feeders
Regions Europe, Western Asia Eastern North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Reed Beetle

A striking aquatic leaf beetle with metallic golden-green to coppery elytra and elongated hind legs. It is one of the largest European Donacia species, found on waterlily pads.

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Did You Know?

Larvae live entirely underwater, tapping into plant roots for both food and oxygen, using specialized spiracles to breathe air from root aerenchyma.

Tooth-Necked Fungus Beetle

A heavily armored, warty brown beetle that feeds on shelf fungi on dead trees. Males have two prominent horns on the thorax.

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Did You Know?

It plays dead so convincingly that it is nearly impossible to distinguish from a piece of bark.