Wooly Darkling Beetle vs Gaboon Ebony Longhorn Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Wooly Darkling Beetle Gaboon Ebony Longhorn Beetle
Scientific Name Eleodes osculans Ceroplesis militaris
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Tenebrionidae Cerambycidae
Size 20-35 mm 25-45 mm
Habitat Deserts & Drylands Forests
Diet Herbivores Wood Feeders
Regions North America West and Central Africa (Cameroon, Gabon, DRC, Nigeria)
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Wooly Darkling Beetle

A stout black beetle common in southwestern US deserts. It raises its abdomen in a defensive headstand posture when disturbed.

💡

Did You Know?

It sprays a foul-smelling quinone chemical from its rear end, earning it the nickname stink beetle.

Gaboon Ebony Longhorn Beetle

A large longhorn beetle with striking black and yellow banding on its elytra. Its antennae are longer than its body in males. Larvae bore into hardwood trees and can take several years to develop.

💡

Did You Know?

The larvae create audible tunneling sounds inside trees that can be heard by pressing an ear against the trunk.