Tres Marias Firefly vs Termitophilous Rove Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Tres Marias Firefly Termitophilous Rove Beetle
Scientific Name Photinus knabi Corotoca melantho
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Lampyridae Staphylinidae
Size 7-10 mm 5-8 mm (body length without physogastric abdomen)
Habitat Woodlands Woodlands
Diet Nectar Feeders Omnivores
Regions North America, Mexico Brazil, tropical South America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Tres Marias Firefly

A small firefly native to Mexico with a yellowish-green flash. It has a dark body with a pale-bordered pronotum and is found in tropical deciduous forests.

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Did You Know?

Many Photinus species in Mexico remain poorly studied, with their flash patterns and mating behaviors largely undocumented.

Termitophilous Rove Beetle

A bizarre, physogastric rove beetle that lives inside termite nests in Brazil. The female's abdomen becomes enormously swollen and translucent, resembling a termite queen in miniature.

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Did You Know?

This is one of the only beetles known to give live birth (viviparity); fully formed larvae emerge from the female rather than eggs.