Round Sand Beetle vs North American Alderfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute	Round Sand Beetle	North American Alderfly
Scientific Name	Omophron limbatum	Sialis infumata
Order	Coleoptera	Megaloptera
Family	Carabidae	Sialidae
Size	5-7 mm	15-20 mm wingspan
Habitat	Ponds & Lakes	Rivers & Streams
Diet	Predators	Predators
Regions	Europe, North Africa, western Asia	Eastern North America
Conservation	Least Concern	Least Concern

Round Sand Beetle

A highly distinctive, nearly circular ground beetle with a domed shape and striking pattern of pale yellow with dark green bands. It burrows in wet sand near water.

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Did You Know?

Its nearly spherical body shape is unique among ground beetles and allows it to burrow rapidly into wet sand to escape predators or floods.

North American Alderfly

A small, dark-winged alderfly common near ponds and slow streams across eastern North America. Adults are clumsy fliers often found resting on streamside plants.

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Did You Know?

Larvae spend one to two years burrowing in pond mud before emerging for a brief adult life of just days.