Tunnel Beetle vs Blind Cave Leiodid Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Tunnel Beetle Blind Cave Leiodid Beetle
Scientific Name Lymexylon navale Glacicavicola bathyscioides
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Lymexylidae Leiodidae
Size 7-16mm 2-3 mm
Habitat Woodlands Caves
Diet Wood Feeders Omnivores
Regions Europe United States
Conservation Least Concern Vulnerable

Tunnel Beetle

A slender cylindrical beetle whose larvae bore straight tunnels through oak timber. Historically damaged ship timber.

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Did You Know?

Was a major pest of oak shipbuilding timber, boring tunnels that weakened the hulls of wooden warships.

Blind Cave Leiodid Beetle

A tiny eyeless beetle found in ice caves of the western United States. It survives in near-freezing temperatures on cave walls.

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Did You Know?

It thrives in caves where temperatures hover just above freezing year-round.