Common Buckeye vs Hawaiian Yellow-faced Bee

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Common Buckeye Hawaiian Yellow-faced Bee
Scientific Name Junonia coenia Hylaeus longiceps
Order Lepidoptera Hymenoptera
Family Nymphalidae Colletidae
Size 42-55 mm wingspan 7-10 mm
Habitat Beaches & Coastal Beaches & Coastal
Diet Predators Nectar Feeders
Regions North America, Central America Oceania (Hawaii)
Conservation Least Concern Endangered

Common Buckeye

Brown butterfly with prominent eyespots on all four wings. Eyespots deter predators by mimicking the eyes of larger animals.

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Did You Know?

Their large eyespots have been shown to startle birds into abandoning attacks.

Hawaiian Yellow-faced Bee

An endemic Hawaiian bee with distinctive yellow facial markings, found in dry coastal and lowland habitats. It nests in hollow plant stems and beetle borings. Hawaiian Hylaeus are the only bees native to the Hawaiian Islands.

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Did You Know?

Hawaiian yellow-faced bees were the first bees in the United States to be listed under the Endangered Species Act, in 2016.