Spotted Tumbling Flower Beetle vs Blue Ghost Firefly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Spotted Tumbling Flower Beetle Blue Ghost Firefly
Scientific Name Mordellistena pumila Phausis reticulata
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Mordellidae Lampyridae
Size 2-3.5 mm 7-12 mm
Habitat Farmland Forests
Diet Pollen Feeders Omnivores
Regions Europe Eastern North America
Conservation Least Concern Not Evaluated

Spotted Tumbling Flower Beetle

A tiny tumbling flower beetle found on composite flowers in summer. Larvae develop in plant stems. One of the smallest and most frequently encountered mordellid species.

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Did You Know?

So small that it can hide inside individual florets of composite flower heads.

Blue Ghost Firefly

A firefly producing a steady pale blue-white glow rather than flashing. Females are larviform and wingless, glowing softly on the forest floor.

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Did You Know?

Males fly slowly just above the leaf litter, creating an ethereal drifting glow that gives them their ghostly name.