Balearic Green Lizard Beetle vs Lichen Katydid

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Balearic Green Lizard Beetle Lichen Katydid
Scientific Name Timarcha balearica Dysonia sp. (Dysonia magdalenae)
Order Coleoptera Orthoptera
Family Chrysomelidae Tettigoniidae
Size 10-18 mm 30-45 mm
Habitat Heathland Mountains
Diet Herbivores Herbivores
Regions Balearic Islands Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia
Conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern

Balearic Green Lizard Beetle

A large flightless leaf beetle endemic to the Balearic Islands. It is black with a bluish-purple sheen and exudes red hemolymph when disturbed.

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Did You Know?

When handled, it bleeds red fluid from its leg joints in a defensive behavior called reflex bleeding.

Lichen Katydid

A Central American katydid with a mottled gray-green body that perfectly mimics lichen on bark. It is nearly invisible when pressed against a tree trunk.

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Did You Know?

It feeds on the same lichen it mimics, making it both predator and impersonator of its food source.