Banded Jewel Beetle vs Water Spinach Flea Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Banded Jewel Beetle Water Spinach Flea Beetle
Scientific Name Chrysochroa buqueti Chaetocnema basalis
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Buprestidae Chrysomelidae
Size 30-45 mm 1.5-2 mm
Habitat Forests Wetlands
Diet Wood Feeders Seed Feeders
Regions Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia South and Southeast Asia, Pacific Islands
Conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern

Banded Jewel Beetle

A large, spectacularly iridescent beetle with red, green, and blue metallic bands. It is native to the tropical forests of Southeast Asia.

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Did You Know?

Its wing cases are used to make traditional Thai jewelry and decorative art called 'beetle wing embroidery.'

Water Spinach Flea Beetle

A tiny, shiny dark bronze to black flea beetle that is a significant pest of rice seedlings and water spinach across tropical Asia. Its shot-hole feeding weakens young plants.

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Did You Know?

Despite its minute size, this beetle can cause devastating damage to rice nurseries when it attacks seedlings at the one-leaf stage.