Fig Longhorn vs Golden Paper Wasp

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Fig Longhorn Golden Paper Wasp
Scientific Name Pelargoderus bipunctatus Polistes fuscatus
Order Coleoptera Hymenoptera
Family Cerambycidae Vespidae
Size 25-40 mm 15-21 mm
Habitat Woodlands Woodlands
Diet Wood Feeders Fruit Feeders
Regions East Africa, Southern Africa Eastern North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Fig Longhorn

A large African cerambycid with a yellowish-brown body and two conspicuous dark spots on the pronotum. It breeds in fig trees and other Moraceae in savanna woodlands. Adults are nocturnal and powerful fliers.

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Did You Know?

Large emergence holes in fig tree trunks made by this beetle are later used as nesting cavities by small birds.

Golden Paper Wasp

A social wasp with highly variable facial markings used for individual recognition. It builds open paper nests under eaves and in sheltered spots.

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Did You Know?

It is one of the few invertebrates scientifically proven to recognize individual faces.