Clown Bug vs Arctic Thrips

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Clown Bug Arctic Thrips
Scientific Name Mictis profana Aptinothrips rufus
Order Hemiptera Thysanoptera
Family Coreidae Thripidae
Size 20-25 mm 0.5-1.5 mm
Habitat Gardens Tundra & Arctic
Diet Sap Feeders Sap Feeders
Regions Australia Arctic and subarctic worldwide, Scandinavia, Iceland, Greenland, northern Canada
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Clown Bug

A large Australian coreid bug also known as the crusader bug for the cross-shaped pattern on its back. It is a common garden visitor.

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Did You Know?

The white cross pattern on its folded wings gives it the alternate name 'crusader bug' in Australia.

Arctic Thrips

A tiny, wingless thrips that feeds on grasses in Arctic and subarctic habitats. Its brown body is barely visible without magnification. Populations reproduce parthenogenetically in the Arctic where males are absent.

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Did You Know?

This thrips can reproduce without males through parthenogenesis, a useful adaptation in Arctic habitats where finding a mate would be difficult.