Snail-killing Fly Beetle vs Pleasing Fungus Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Snail-killing Fly Beetle Pleasing Fungus Beetle
Scientific Name Drilus flavescens Gibbifer californicus
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Drilidae Erotylidae
Size 7-15mm 10-20 mm
Habitat Underground Forests
Diet Predators Predators
Regions Europe North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Snail-killing Fly Beetle

A brown beetle with soft elytra where males are winged but females are larviform and never develop wings. It specializes in hunting snails.

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Did You Know?

The larva enters a snails shell and slowly consumes it alive over several days before pupating inside the empty shell.

Pleasing Fungus Beetle

A brightly colored beetle that feeds exclusively on bracket fungi on dead trees. Its warning colors signal chemical defenses to predators.

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Did You Know?

Large aggregations of dozens of adults sometimes gather on a single large shelf fungus to feed and mate communally.