Wooly Darkling Beetle vs Sand Dune Scarab

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Wooly Darkling Beetle Sand Dune Scarab
Scientific Name Eleodes osculans Pseudocotalpa andrewsi
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Tenebrionidae Scarabaeidae
Size 20-35 mm 15-22 mm
Habitat Deserts & Drylands Deserts & Drylands
Diet Herbivores Root Feeders
Regions North America North America
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.

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Did You Know?

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

Sand Dune Scarab

A metallic golden-green scarab beetle found only on desert sand dunes. Adults emerge briefly after rains to feed and mate.

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Did You Know?

It can burrow into loose sand in seconds using its broad, shovel-like forelegs.