Racingstripe Darkling Beetle

Stenocara gracilipes · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Tenebrionidae

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Racingstripe Darkling Beetle
Photo: Hans Hillewaert, CC BY-SA 3.0

The racingstripe darkling beetle lives in the Namib Desert, one of the world’s driest places, getting only about 1.4 cm of rain each year. It survives by gathering water on the bumps of its back from early-morning fogs and can also take moisture from dew.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

Its stiff, bumpy wing covers (elytra) are positioned to catch water droplets from the damp breeze.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it lives

It inhabits the Namib Desert in southern Africa, an extremely arid region. The area receives only about 1.4 cm (0.55 in) of rain per year.

Source: Wikipedia

What it eats

It collects water on its bumpy back from early morning fogs to stay hydrated. It can also obtain moisture from dew when fog is absent.

Source: Wikipedia

More photos

Racingstripe Darkling Beetle photo 3
Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA
Racingstripe Darkling Beetle photo 4
Photo: Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE, CC BY-SA 2.0
Racingstripe Darkling Beetle photo 5
Photo: Lidine Mia, CC BY-SA
Racingstripe Darkling Beetle photo 6
Photo: JonRichfield, CC BY-SA 3.0

Same family (Tenebrionidae)

Red Flour BeetleRed Flour BeetleTribolium castaneumCan damage your homeConfused Flour BeetleConfused Flour BeetleTribolium confusumCan damage your homeRough-haired Lagria BeetleRough-haired Lagria BeetleLagria hirtaObscure Darkling BeetleObscure Darkling BeetleEleodes obscuraSulphur BeetleSulphur BeetleCteniopus sulphureusEleodes acuticaudaEleodes acuticaudaEleodes acuticauda

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stenocara_gracilipes

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.

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