Spruce Beetle vs Japanese Damaster Ground Beetle
Side-by-side species comparison
| Attribute | Spruce Beetle | Japanese Damaster Ground Beetle |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Dendroctonus rufipennis | Damaster blaptoides |
| Order | Coleoptera | Coleoptera |
| Family | Curculionidae | Carabidae |
| Size | 4-7 mm | 30-55 mm |
| Habitat | Forests | Woodlands |
| Diet | Wood Feeders | Predators |
| Regions | Alaska, western Canada, and the Rocky Mountain states | Japan (all main islands) |
| Conservation | Least Concern | Least Concern |
Spruce Beetle
A dark brown to black bark beetle that is the primary killer of mature spruce trees in North America. Outbreaks are triggered by drought, windthrow, or warming temperatures.
Did You Know?
A single outbreak in Alaska during the 1990s killed spruce trees across more than one million acres.
Japanese Damaster Ground Beetle
A remarkably elongated Japanese ground beetle with an extremely narrow body and extended neck region. It has evolved this shape specifically to feed on snails by reaching deep into their shells.
Did You Know?
It has the most elongated body of any Carabus relative, evolved specifically so it can insert its head and thorax deep inside the spiral of a snail shell to reach the living snail.