Twisted-Winged Parasitoid vs Atemeles Ant Guest Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Twisted-Winged Parasitoid Atemeles Ant Guest Beetle
Scientific Name Elenchus tenuicornis Lomechusoides strumosus
Order Strepsiptera Coleoptera
Family Elenchidae Staphylinidae
Size 1-3 mm 5-6 mm
Habitat Farmland Woodlands
Diet Parasites Parasites
Regions Europe, Asia Central Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Twisted-Winged Parasitoid

A minute strepsipteran that parasitizes planthoppers of the family Delphacidae. Males have fan-shaped hind wings and raspberry-like compound eyes unique among insects.

💡

Did You Know?

Strepsiptera have unique compound eyes with far fewer but much larger individual lenses than any other insect, resembling a cluster of berries.

Atemeles Ant Guest Beetle

A parasitic rove beetle that lives in ant nests, switching between Formica and Myrmica host species seasonally. Its larvae are raised by ants alongside their own brood.

💡

Did You Know?

It migrates between two different ant species each year, overwintering with one and breeding with another.