The false bombardier beetle is a part of the ground beetles family indigenous to the United States. This species has attained its name as it mimics the shape and colors of the bombardier beetle to shield itself from predators.
Size: 17 – 25 mm (0.66 – 0.98 inches)
Color: It closely replicates the bombardier beetle’s colors, having a black abdomen and head and an orange thorax and legs.
Other Characteristic Features: Their legs appear long and strong, while the elytron is marked with linear ridges. The false bombardier beetle also has long antennae marked with thick orange segments.
Not much detail about the larvae is recorded, only for the fact that they appear long and cylindrical like the bombardier beetle’s larva.
The pupation phase takes place near leaves and woody regions where the larva inhabits.
The females make mud cells that are purse-shaped within the undercol3s of leaves and lay eggs there.
| Adult lifespan | 1 – 2 years |
| Duration of larval stage | Not recorded |
| Distribution | Eastern parts of United States |
| Habitat | Woodland, moist areas, leaf litter, logs, rocks, backyards |
| Common Predators | Birds |
| Seasons active from | February – November |
| Host Plants | No host plants |
| Diet of larvae and adults | Insects |
They mostly feed on insects roaming around their habitats, so they are not likely to cause damage to the plants in the areas they live.
Image Source: bugguide.net, objects.liquidweb.services, live.staticflickr.com, bugguide.net
The false bombardier beetle is a part of the ground beetles family indigenous to the United States. This species has attained its name as it mimics the shape and colors of the bombardier beetle to shield itself from predators.
Size: 17 – 25 mm (0.66 – 0.98 inches)
Color: It closely replicates the bombardier beetle’s colors, having a black abdomen and head and an orange thorax and legs.
Other Characteristic Features: Their legs appear long and strong, while the elytron is marked with linear ridges. The false bombardier beetle also has long antennae marked with thick orange segments.
Not much detail about the larvae is recorded, only for the fact that they appear long and cylindrical like the bombardier beetle’s larva.
The pupation phase takes place near leaves and woody regions where the larva inhabits.
The females make mud cells that are purse-shaped within the undercol3s of leaves and lay eggs there.
| Adult lifespan | 1 – 2 years |
| Duration of larval stage | Not recorded |
| Distribution | Eastern parts of United States |
| Habitat | Woodland, moist areas, leaf litter, logs, rocks, backyards |
| Common Predators | Birds |
| Seasons active from | February – November |
| Host Plants | No host plants |
| Diet of larvae and adults | Insects |
They mostly feed on insects roaming around their habitats, so they are not likely to cause damage to the plants in the areas they live.
Image Source: bugguide.net, objects.liquidweb.services, live.staticflickr.com, bugguide.net
