Subterranean Diving Beetle vs Thief Ant

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Subterranean Diving Beetle Thief Ant
Scientific Name Limbodessus palmulaoides Solenopsis molesta
Order Coleoptera Hymenoptera
Family Dytiscidae Formicidae
Size 1.5-2.5 mm 1-2 mm
Habitat Caves Woodlands
Diet Omnivores Omnivores
Regions Australia North America
Conservation Data Deficient Not Evaluated

Subterranean Diving Beetle

An eyeless aquatic beetle living in underground calcrete aquifers of Western Australia. It has lost all pigmentation and wing development.

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Did You Know?

It evolved independently from surface ancestors trapped by the aridification of Australia.

Thief Ant

One of the smallest ant species in North America, nesting near larger ant colonies to steal food and brood. Their tiny size allows them to enter other nests through passages too small for defenders.

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Did You Know?

They are so small they can live inside the walls of other ant nests for extended periods without being detected.