The Horned Passalus, or bess beetle, is a large, shiny black beetle that lives in highly organized family groups inside rotting logs, with parents caring for their larvae — an unusual level of social behavior for beetles. Both adults and larvae communicate with squeaking sounds produced by rubbing body parts together. Adults partially pre-digest wood for their larvae to consume.
Recent Horned Passalus sightings near you
Live, research-grade observations from iNaturalist. Allow location to center the map on you.
Spot a Horned Passalus? Identify it instantly.
Point Huck at any plant or animal and get an instant ID, rarity, and field notes - building your personal nature collection as you go.
Get HuckGet an alert when a Horned Passalus is spotted
Pick a park, state, or city and we’ll email you when one turns up there. One check a day, only when there’s something new.
Free. Unsubscribe from any email. See our Privacy Policy.
Love insects & arthropods? Get Huck field notes
Spotting tips, new species, and the best of what people are finding in the wild - straight to your inbox.