Australian Glow-Worm Firefly vs Papua New Guinea Jewel Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Australian Glow-Worm Firefly Papua New Guinea Jewel Beetle
Scientific Name Atyphella lychnus Chrysochroa mniszechii
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Lampyridae Buprestidae
Size 8-15 mm 25-40 mm
Habitat Forests Forests
Diet Predators Wood Feeders
Regions Oceania Oceania (Papua New Guinea)
Conservation Data Deficient Least Concern

Australian Glow-Worm Firefly

One of Australia's few true firefly species, found in tropical Queensland rainforests. Females are wingless and glow from the forest floor.

💡

Did You Know?

Australia has surprisingly few firefly species compared to Southeast Asia, with most confined to the wet tropics of Queensland.

Papua New Guinea Jewel Beetle

A spectacularly colourful jewel beetle found in Papua New Guinea, with an iridescent metallic body that shifts between green, blue, and purple. Like all buprestids, its larvae are wood borers. Adults are found on logs and tree trunks in tropical forest.

💡

Did You Know?

The brilliant metallic colours of jewel beetles are caused by thin-film interference in layered structures within their exoskeleton, inspiring biomimetic research in optics.