Blue Leaf Beetle vs Striped Alder Sawfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Blue Leaf Beetle Striped Alder Sawfly
Scientific Name Colaspidema atrum Hemichroa crocea
Order Coleoptera Hymenoptera
Family Chrysomelidae Tenthredinidae
Size 4-6 mm 7-9 mm
Habitat Farmland Rivers & Streams
Diet Herbivores Herbivores
Regions Southern Europe, North Africa, Western Asia North America, 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.'

Striped Alder Sawfly

A brightly colored sawfly with an orange body and black markings on the thorax. Larvae are pale yellowish-green with dark dorsal stripes and feed on alder and birch.

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Did You Know?

This species can reproduce both sexually and parthenogenetically, with unfertilized eggs developing into males.