Cape Oil-collecting Bee vs Apollo Butterfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Cape Oil-collecting Bee Apollo Butterfly
Scientific Name Rediviva neliana Parnassius apollo
Order Hymenoptera Lepidoptera
Family Melittidae Papilionidae
Size 10-14 mm 62-86 mm wingspan
Habitat Mountains Mountains
Diet Nectar Feeders Omnivores
Regions South Africa Mountain ranges of Europe and central Asia
Conservation Data Deficient Vulnerable

Cape Oil-collecting Bee

A South African oil-collecting bee with extraordinarily long front legs used to extract floral oil from deep-spurred Diascia flowers. It is a solitary ground-nesting species.

💡

Did You Know?

Its front legs can be longer than its entire body, an extreme adaptation for reaching oils at the bottom of deep flower spurs.

Apollo Butterfly

A large white butterfly with translucent wings bearing red and black eyespots, found on mountain slopes. It is one of Europe's most iconic and threatened montane species.

💡

Did You Know?

After mating, the male deposits a waxy plug called a sphragis on the female to prevent rival matings.