South American Giant Diving Beetle vs Mascarene Spreadwing

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute South American Giant Diving Beetle Mascarene Spreadwing
Scientific Name Megadytes ducalis Lestes auripennis
Order Coleoptera Odonata
Family Dytiscidae Lestidae
Size 35-45 mm 3.5-4.5 cm
Habitat Rivers & Streams Rivers & Streams
Diet Omnivores Herbivores
Regions Brazil, Amazon Basin Mauritius, Reunion
Conservation Least Concern Endangered

South American Giant Diving Beetle

One of the largest diving beetles in South America with a glossy dark olive body. It inhabits large rivers and lakes of the Amazon basin.

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Did You Know?

It is among the largest dytiscid beetles in the Western Hemisphere.

Mascarene Spreadwing

A rare damselfly endemic to Mauritius and Reunion in the Mascarene Islands. It breeds in slow-flowing streams with overhanging vegetation.

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Did You Know?

Most of Mauritius's original wetland habitat has been converted to sugar cane fields.