Banded Greenhouse Thrips vs Blue Doctor Butterfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Banded Greenhouse Thrips Blue Doctor Butterfly
Scientific Name Hercinothrips femoralis Rhetus periander
Order Thysanoptera Lepidoptera
Family Thripidae Riodinidae
Size 1.5-2 mm 55-65 mm wingspan
Habitat Gardens Rivers & Streams
Diet Herbivores Herbivores
Regions Africa, Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Oceania South America (Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Bolivia)
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Banded Greenhouse Thrips

A large thrips species with banded wings that infests banana, avocado, and ornamental plants. Originally from Africa, it has spread to greenhouses worldwide.

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Did You Know?

This thrips is one of the largest species in the order and can be identified by the distinctive dark bands across its wings.

Blue Doctor Butterfly

A large metalmark butterfly with brilliant metallic blue upperwings and distinctive red-spotted underwings with long tail streamers. It is one of the largest and most spectacular members of the family Riodinidae. Males are territorial and frequently seen perching on sunlit leaves.

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Did You Know?

Despite being a metalmark butterfly rather than a swallowtail, it has evolved long tail streamers on its hindwings through convergent evolution.