Smooth Hister Beetle vs Trilobite Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Smooth Hister Beetle Trilobite Beetle
Scientific Name Margarinotus striola Duliticola hoiseni
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Histeridae Lycidae
Size 4-6 mm 40-80 mm (females), 8-10 mm (males)
Habitat Indoors Underground
Diet Dung Feeders Fungus Feeders
Regions Europe, North Africa Asia
Conservation Least Concern Data Deficient

Smooth Hister Beetle

A compact, highly polished black beetle with fine elytral striations. It is one of the most common dung-dwelling hister beetles in Europe.

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Did You Know?

Its almost mirror-like surface is so smooth that dung and debris slide off its body, keeping it permanently clean.

Trilobite Beetle

Females are large, larviform, and look strikingly like trilobites from the Paleozoic era. Males are tiny conventional-looking beetles. One of the most extreme sexual dimorphisms in insects.

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Did You Know?

Females of this beetle retain their larval form throughout life and look like extinct trilobites — males are tiny normal beetles, creating one of natures most extreme sex differences.