Doodlebug

The Doodlebug is an enemy in Pikmin 2 and Pikmin 4. It has the same morphology of the Iridescent Flint Beetle, except it is coated with dirt and has small flies hovering around it, giving it a more repugnant appearance. They, like Iridescent Glint Beetles, drop spray – ultra-bitter spray; in Challenge Mode, they sometimes drop treasure. They are only found inside caves. When Doodlebugs move, they release flatulence and leave noxious clouds of poisonous gas wherever they were, thus subjecting nearby Pikmin to choking. Therefore, White Pikmin are ideal for killing these creatures. If they are killed while petrified, they do not release any nectar or sprays, but do drop any treasures they were holding.

Sublevel 1 of the Frontier Cavern holds the largest number of Doodlebugs together: three. The Doodlebug at the Cryptic Cavern will just respawn elsewhere if it burrows before its Key is removed.

Behavior
Behaviorally, Doodlebugs are very similar to Iridescent Flint Beetles. Like the Flint Beetles, the Doodlebug cannot normally be harmed by leaders. However, it is different from the others in that it remains above ground for a much longer period of time. Once activated, the Doodlebug springs out from the ground, immediately releasing poisonous gas as it does so. Like all other poison in the game, this gas will kill all non-White Pikmin if they are exposed to it and are not whistled back to a leader. Once active, Doodlebugs move quickly and release more gas at regular intervals. If a Pikmin is landed directly onto one's back, it will flip over briefly and drop nectar or a drop of spray. Once a Doodlebug has been flipped over a few times, it will quickly retreat underground. The same thing will happen if the bug is simply left undisturbed above ground for too long.

Strategy
After being prompted into surfacing, a Doodlebug is capable of killing your Pikmin if you are careless. It is advisable to bring either a large group of White Pikmin or a small group of Purple Pikmin, as the Doodlebug will disappear after getting flipped. Be cautious when fighting it within close proximity of other enemies, as its scuttling may awaken them. To defeat the creature normally, just throw Pikmin at its backside.

Alternatively, you could use an ultra-bitter spray on it and either swarm it with your Pikmin or punch it. Note that though this method is usually safer, it also gives you less reward, as the ultra-bitter drops that the Doodlebug drops when flipped are quite useful against future enemies.

Trivia

 * Prior to the release of, the Doodlebug was mistakenly referred to as belonging to the "Flint bug family" in the English version, even though they were claimed to share the same genus as the Iridescent Flint Beetle. In the Japanese version of , the Iridescent Flint Beetle and the Doodlebug had always shared the same family.