Eighty-eight Butterfly vs Spinifex Termite

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Eighty-eight Butterfly Spinifex Termite
Scientific Name Diaethria clymena Nasutitermes longipennis
Order Lepidoptera Blattodea
Family Nymphalidae Termitidae
Size Wingspan 30-40mm Workers 4-5 mm; soldiers 5-6 mm
Habitat Forests Grasslands
Diet Herbivores Herbivores
Regions South America Australia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Eighty-eight Butterfly

A small butterfly with striking black and white markings on its underwings that clearly spell out the number 88 or 89.

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Did You Know?

The number 88 pattern on its wings is so precise that it appears to have been printed making it one of the most photographed butterflies.

Spinifex Termite

A mound-building termite common across the dry interior of Australia. Its hard earthen mounds dot the landscape of arid grasslands and are a key food source for echidnas.

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Did You Know?

Short-beaked echidnas tear open the rock-hard mounds with powerful claws to feast on the termites inside.