Frigate Island Giant Tenebrionid Beetle vs Gum Leaf Skeletoniser

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Frigate Island Giant Tenebrionid Beetle Gum Leaf Skeletoniser
Scientific Name Polposipus herculeanus Uraba lugens
Order Coleoptera Lepidoptera
Family Tenebrionidae Nolidae
Size 2-3.5 cm 25-35 mm wingspan
Habitat Woodlands Woodlands
Diet Wood Feeders Herbivores
Regions Seychelles Australia, Oceania
Conservation Critically Endangered Least Concern

Frigate Island Giant Tenebrionid Beetle

A large flightless darkling beetle endemic to Frigate Island in the Seychelles. It shelters under bark and in dead wood during the day.

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Did You Know?

Its entire wild population is restricted to a single island less than 2 square kilometers in size.

Gum Leaf Skeletoniser

A small moth whose caterpillars are known for retaining their shed head capsules stacked on top of each other, forming a tall 'hat'. The larvae feed gregariously on eucalyptus leaves, skeletonising them.

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Did You Know?

Its caterpillar is nicknamed the 'mad hatterpillar' because it wears a tower of old head capsules like a top hat.