Common Sun Beetle vs Devil's Shoestring

Amara aenea compared with Tephrosia angustissima

Key Differences

• Common Sun Beetle is Least Concern while Devil's Shoestring is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Sun Beetle	Devil's Shoestring
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Coleoptera (Beetles)	Fabales (Legumes & Allies)
Family	Carabidae	Fabaceae
Genus	Amara	Tephrosia
Species	Amara aenea	Tephrosia angustissima

Conservation Status

Common Sun Beetle

LC — Least Concern

Devil's Shoestring

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Sun Beetle	Devil's Shoestring
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

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).

Devil's Shoestring

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical coniferous forests, among 5 distinct biome types within the Neotropic biogeographic realm.

Range

Found in Cuba. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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.