Violin Beetle vs Black Dung Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Violin Beetle Black Dung Beetle
Scientific Name Mormolyce phyllodes Copris lunaris
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Carabidae Scarabaeidae
Size 80-100 mm 15-22 mm
Habitat Forests Farmland
Diet Fungus Feeders Dung Feeders
Regions Asia Europe, Asia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Violin Beetle

An extraordinarily flat beetle shaped like a violin. Its paper-thin body allows it to squeeze between bracket fungi and under bark. Found in Southeast Asian rainforests.

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Did You Know?

The violin beetle is so flat it can slide between layers of bracket fungus like a playing card — its body is one of the most extremely flattened of any insect.

Black Dung Beetle

A robust black dung beetle found across Europe and parts of Asia. Males bear a single curved horn on the head and exhibit biparental brood care.

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Did You Know?

Both parents cooperate to provision and guard the brood chamber, which is unusual among beetles.