Wahlberg's Flower Mantis vs Dermestid Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Wahlberg's Flower Mantis Dermestid Beetle
Scientific Name Pseudocreobotra amarae Dermestes maculatus
Order Mantodea Coleoptera
Family Hymenopodidae Dermestidae
Size 25-35 mm 6-10mm
Habitat Heathland Farmland
Diet Omnivores Omnivores
Regions Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania Worldwide
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Wahlberg's Flower Mantis

A small East African flower mantis with spiny projections on its abdomen and thorax. Its coloring ranges from white to green depending on the habitat.

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Did You Know?

The thoracic spines make it one of the most heavily ornamented flower mantises in Africa.

Dermestid Beetle

A small dark beetle with white undersides used by museums and taxidermists to clean skeletons. Larvae are covered in bristly hairs.

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Did You Know?

Natural history museums keep colonies of these beetles specifically to clean flesh from bones for skeletal displays.