Banded Fungus Beetle vs Powder Post Termite

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Banded Fungus Beetle Powder Post Termite
Scientific Name Triplax russica Cryptotermes primus
Order Coleoptera Blattodea
Family Erotylidae Kalotermitidae
Size 3-5 mm 4-6 mm
Habitat Woodlands Woodlands
Diet Fungus Feeders Wood Feeders
Regions Europe Northern and eastern Australia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Banded Fungus Beetle

A small, attractively colored beetle with a red thorax and dark blue-black elytra. Lives on bracket fungi on dead trees. Part of a family known for bright coloring.

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Did You Know?

The contrasting red and blue-black coloring makes this one of the most attractive fungus beetles.

Powder Post Termite

An Australian drywood termite that infests dry structural timber in buildings across tropical and subtropical regions. Colonies are small and produce fine frass pellets that are ejected from the wood. The species rarely requires soil contact.

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Did You Know?

Infestations often go unnoticed for years until structural timber is so weakened that it collapses, because workers consume wood from the inside out.