Rugged Oil Beetle vs Water Boatman

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Rugged Oil Beetle Water Boatman
Scientific Name Meloe rugosus Corixa punctata
Order Coleoptera Hemiptera
Family Meloidae Corixidae
Size 8-25 mm 6-10 mm
Habitat Beaches & Coastal Ponds & Lakes
Diet Herbivores Herbivores
Regions Western Europe, Southern Europe Europe
Conservation Endangered Least Concern

Rugged Oil Beetle

A rare, dark and heavily wrinkled oil beetle that appears in autumn unlike its spring-emerging relatives. It is one of Britain's most endangered beetles.

💡

Did You Know?

It is one of the few European oil beetles that is active during the autumn and winter months.

Water Boatman

A small, oval aquatic bug with oar-like hind legs fringed with swimming hairs. Unlike most aquatic bugs, water boatmen are primarily herbivores that scrape algae from underwater surfaces.

💡

Did You Know?

Male water boatmen produce the loudest sound relative to body size of any animal on Earth, singing at 99 decibels by rubbing a ridge on their genitalia against their abdomen.