Ridged Water Scavenger Beetle vs Dry Fork Valley Cave Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Ridged Water Scavenger Beetle Dry Fork Valley Cave Beetle
Scientific Name Helochares obscurus Pseudanophthalmus montanus
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Hydrophilidae Carabidae
Size 4-6 mm 4-5 mm
Habitat Ponds & Lakes Caves
Diet Detritivores Omnivores
Regions Europe, North Africa United States
Conservation Least Concern Endangered

Ridged Water Scavenger Beetle

A small brown water beetle found in well-vegetated ponds across Europe. Females carry their egg sacs beneath the body until the larvae hatch.

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Did You Know?

The female carries her egg case attached to the underside of her body, a rare form of parental care in beetles.

Dry Fork Valley Cave Beetle

A cave-obligate beetle from the Dry Fork Valley region of West Virginia. Like all members of its genus, it is completely eyeless.

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Did You Know?

It can only survive in the constant-temperature deep zones of caves.