Spanish Fly Beetle vs Helena Olive Wireworm Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Spanish Fly Beetle Helena Olive Wireworm Beetle
Scientific Name Berberomeloe majalis Tarphius wollastoni
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Meloidae Zopheridae
Size 30-70mm 0.3-0.6 cm
Habitat Grasslands Forests
Diet Herbivores Fungus Feeders
Regions Europe, Africa St. Helena
Conservation Vulnerable Critically Endangered

Spanish Fly Beetle

A huge wingless blister beetle with a massively swollen red and black banded abdomen. The largest European meloid.

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Did You Know?

One of the largest beetle species in Europe with a body so heavy it resembles a fat caterpillar more than a beetle.

Helena Olive Wireworm Beetle

A small beetle endemic to St. Helena in the South Atlantic. It is associated with decaying endemic gumwood trees.

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Did You Know?

St. Helena's native gumwood forests have been reduced to a few tiny remnant patches since colonization.