Totara Longhorn Beetle vs Sexton Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Totara Longhorn Beetle Sexton Beetle
Scientific Name Xylotoles costatus Nicrophorus vespilloides
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Cerambycidae Silphidae
Size 1-2 cm 12-18 mm
Habitat Woodlands Woodlands
Diet Wood Feeders Carrion Feeders
Regions New Zealand Europe, Asia, North America
Conservation Endangered Least Concern

Totara Longhorn Beetle

A longhorn beetle endemic to the Chatham Islands of New Zealand. It breeds in dead wood of native Dracophyllum trees.

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Did You Know?

The Chatham Islands have been so heavily deforested that many of their endemic insects are now critically rare.

Sexton Beetle

A black and orange carrion beetle that buries small animal carcasses as food for its larvae. Both parents care for the brood.

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Did You Know?

Parents feed their larvae by regurgitating pre-digested carrion, similar to bird feeding behavior.