Blue Leaf Beetle vs Sallow Kitten

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Blue Leaf Beetle Sallow Kitten
Scientific Name Colaspidema atrum Furcula furcula
Order Coleoptera Lepidoptera
Family Chrysomelidae Notodontidae
Size 4-6 mm 30-37 mm wingspan
Habitat Farmland Rivers & Streams
Diet Herbivores Herbivores
Regions Southern Europe, North Africa, Western Asia Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Blue Leaf Beetle

A small, oval, dark blue to black beetle with a slight metallic luster. It can be a pest of lucerne (alfalfa) and other legume crops across Southern Europe and North Africa.

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Did You Know?

Large populations can rapidly defoliate alfalfa fields, with damage often concentrated in specific areas of a field called 'hot spots.'

Sallow Kitten

A small, fluffy white moth with delicate grey markings. Named for its resemblance to a small cat. Larvae have tail filaments like the puss moth. Found near willow and sallow.

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Did You Know?

A diminutive relative of the puss moth, whose caterpillars share the same tail-whipping defensive behavior.