Bloody-Nosed Beetle vs Pine Shoot Moth

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Bloody-Nosed Beetle Pine Shoot Moth
Scientific Name Timarcha tenebricosa Rhyacionia buoliana
Order Coleoptera Lepidoptera
Family Chrysomelidae Tortricidae
Size 10-20 mm 18-24 mm wingspan
Habitat Hedgerows Farmland
Diet Omnivores Omnivores
Regions Western Europe Europe, Asia, North America (introduced)
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Bloody-Nosed Beetle

A large, flightless, domed black beetle that oozes red fluid from its mouth when threatened. The secretion contains distasteful chemicals.

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Did You Know?

The red defensive fluid is actually hemolymph, the beetle equivalent of blood.

Pine Shoot Moth

A small bright orange moth with silver-grey crosslines on the forewings. Its larvae bore into the terminal shoots of young pine trees, causing deformity.

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Did You Know?

Attacked trees develop a characteristic 'posthorn' bend from the distorted leader shoot.