Waterhouse Stag Beetle vs Compost Rove Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Waterhouse Stag Beetle Compost Rove Beetle
Scientific Name Phalacrognathus muelleri waterhouseorum Oxytelus laqueatus
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Lucanidae Staphylinidae
Size 25-65 mm 3-4 mm
Habitat Mountains Gardens
Diet Wood Feeders Predators
Regions New Guinea Holarctic: Europe, Asia, North America
Conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern

Waterhouse Stag Beetle

A subspecies of the rainbow stag beetle from New Guinea with even more vivid metallic coloring. Highly prized by collectors.

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Did You Know?

They display some of the most intense structural coloration found in any beetle species.

Compost Rove Beetle

A small, broad oxytelline rove beetle with a distinctively sculptured pronotum bearing deep grooves. It is abundant in composting material and agricultural waste across the Holarctic region.

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Did You Know?

This beetle is so abundant in compost that a single shovelful can contain dozens of individuals, making it one of the most numerous insects in garden ecosystems.