Common Lime vs Common Sun Beetle

Tilia europaea compared with Amara aenea

Key Differences

• Common Lime is Not Evaluated while Common Sun Beetle is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Lime	Common Sun Beetle
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Malvales (Malvales)	Coleoptera (Beetles)
Family	Malvaceae	Carabidae
Genus	Tilia	Amara
Species	Tilia europaea	Amara aenea

Conservation Status

Common Lime

NE — Not Evaluated

Common Sun Beetle

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Lime	Common Sun Beetle
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Lime

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Found across Europe (4 countries) and North America (Canada, United States).

Common Sun Beetle

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (7 countries) and North America (Canada, United States).

Common Lime

<em>Tilia europaea</em>, the common lime or European linden, is a large deciduous tree in the family Malvaceae, occurring naturally as a hybrid between <em>Tilia cordata</em> and <em>Tilia platyphyllos</em>. It is widely distributed across Europe and has been introduced to North America, where it is commonly planted as a street and park tree. The common lime typically grows in temperate broadleaf forests and urban environments, reaching considerable heights and living for several centuries. It produces fragrant, pale yellow flowers in summer that are highly attractive to bees and other pollinators, earning it a prominent role in honey production. The species has not been assessed for the IUCN Red List. Its wood is valued for carving and musical instrument manufacture, while its flowers and leaves have traditional uses in herbal medicine. Common lime is particularly notable for producing abundant basal sprouts and epicormic shoots, a characteristic that makes it useful for coppicing and pollarding in traditional land management practices across Europe and North America.

Common Sun Beetle

<em>Amara aenea</em>, the common sun beetle, is a carabid ground beetle in the family Carabidae, order Coleoptera. It is broadly distributed across Europe and has been introduced to North America, typically inhabiting open, sunny habitats such as arable fields, grasslands, sandy heathlands, and disturbed ground with sparse vegetation. Adults are omnivorous, feeding on seeds, small invertebrates, and plant material, and are considered important predators of weed seeds in agricultural systems. <em>Amara aenea</em> is surface-active during warm, dry conditions, typically exhibiting peak activity in late spring and summer. Like many carabid beetles, it is nocturnal and shelters under stones and debris during the day. Larvae develop in the soil, where they also feed on organic matter and small invertebrates. Biological traits including precise adult lifespan, body length measurements, and detailed prey preferences remain poorly documented at the species level. The species is assessed as Least Concern by the IUCN, reflecting its wide distribution, high adaptability to disturbed environments, and no significant known threats to global population status.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 5 countries:

🇨🇦 Canada 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇸 United States