Clown beetle vs koala

Acritus komai compared with Phascolarctos cinereus

Key Differences

• Clown beetle is Not Evaluated while koala is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Clown beetle	koala
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (artrópode)	Chordata (cordados)
Class	Insecta (inseto)	Mammalia (mamíferos)
Order	Coleoptera (besouro)	Diprotodontia (Marsupials)
Family	Histeridae	Phascolarctidae (Koalas)
Genus	Acritus	Phascolarctos (Koalas)
Species	Acritus komai	Phascolarctos cinereus

Evolutionary Relationship

Clown beetle and koala share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Clown beetle

NE — Not Evaluated

koala

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Clown beetle	koala
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	15 years
Average Length	—	75 cm
Average Weight	—	10.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Clown beetle

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Asia (Indonesia), Europe (4 countries), and North America (Canada, United States).

koala

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, forests, and vegetated habitats.

Range

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

Clown beetle

Acritus komai is a minute histerid beetle (family Histeridae) belonging to the subfamily Abraeinae. Members of this subfamily are among the smallest beetles in the family, typically measuring less than 2 mm in length. Like all histerids, A. komai is presumed to be predatory, likely feeding on mites, nematodes, or small dipteran eggs and larvae in decaying organic substrates. The genus Acritus comprises numerous species distributed across multiple continents, and members are often associated with rotting wood, dung, carrion, and fungal fruiting bodies. A. komai appears to have a cosmopolitan or wide distribution, possibly facilitated by passive transport in organic material. The species has not been formally assessed by the IUCN, reflecting the general lack of conservation data for many microhabitat-specialist invertebrates. Its extremely small size and cryptic habits make field observation and population assessment challenging. Systematic studies of this genus rely primarily on detailed morphological examination of antennal club structure, elytral striae, and prosternal keels, which are important diagnostic characters in Histeridae taxonomy.

koala

Icônico marsupial do leste e sudeste da Austrália, os coalas pesam até 15 kg e passam até 22 horas diárias dormindo para conservar energia de sua dieta de folhas de eucalipto, com baixo teor calórico. Altamente especializados para processar os compostos tóxicos do eucalipto que matariam a maioria dos outros mamíferos, possuem microbiomas intestinais unicamente adaptados para a destoxificação. Classificado como Em Perigo em 2022, com populações dizimadas pela doença de clamídia, desmatamento e mudanças climáticas.