Wallace's Line Stag Beetle vs Termitophilous Rove Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Wallace's Line Stag Beetle Termitophilous Rove Beetle
Scientific Name Odontolabis latipennis Corotoca melantho
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Lucanidae Staphylinidae
Size 40-75 mm 5-8 mm (body length without physogastric abdomen)
Habitat Mountains Woodlands
Diet Wood Feeders Omnivores
Regions Southeast Asia (Sulawesi, Maluku Islands, Indonesia) Brazil, tropical South America
Conservation Data Deficient Least Concern

Wallace's Line Stag Beetle

A large stag beetle with broad, flattened elytra and wide mandibles in males. The body is dark reddish-brown to black with a smooth, polished surface.

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Did You Know?

This species is found near Wallace's Line, the famous biogeographic boundary separating Asian and Australian fauna in the Indonesian archipelago.

Termitophilous Rove Beetle

A bizarre, physogastric rove beetle that lives inside termite nests in Brazil. The female's abdomen becomes enormously swollen and translucent, resembling a termite queen in miniature.

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Did You Know?

This is one of the only beetles known to give live birth (viviparity); fully formed larvae emerge from the female rather than eggs.