Small Australian Tunneler vs Spider Wasp

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Small Australian Tunneler Spider Wasp
Scientific Name Onthophagus parvus Cryptocheilus bicolor
Order Coleoptera Hymenoptera
Family Scarabaeidae Pompilidae
Size 4-6 mm 20-35 mm
Habitat Woodlands Woodlands
Diet Dung Feeders Predators
Regions Australia Oceania
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Small Australian Tunneler

A tiny, brown tunneling dung beetle native to Australia. It is one of the few native Australian species adapted to process the dry, pellet-like dung of marsupials. Found in eucalyptus woodland across the continent.

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Did You Know?

Native Australian dung beetles evolved with marsupial pellet dung and were ill-equipped to handle the wet dung of introduced cattle.

Spider Wasp

A large orange and black wasp that hunts huntsman spiders for its larvae.

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Did You Know?

It paralyzes spiders many times its own weight and drags them to a burrow.