Violin Beetle vs Cascade Damselfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Violin Beetle Cascade Damselfly
Scientific Name Mormolyce phyllodes Thaumatoneura inopinata
Order Coleoptera Odonata
Family Carabidae Thaumatoneuridae
Size 80-100 mm 55-65 mm
Habitat Forests Forests
Diet Fungus Feeders Predators
Regions Asia Central America
Conservation Least Concern Vulnerable

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.

Cascade Damselfly

A rare damselfly found only near waterfalls in Central American cloud forests.

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Did You Know?

Its larvae develop on wet rocks behind waterfall spray zones.