Geranium Bronze vs Chinese Sinentomid

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Geranium Bronze Chinese Sinentomid
Scientific Name Cacyreus marshalli Sinentomon erythranum
Order Lepidoptera Protura
Family Lycaenidae Sinentomidae
Size 18-23 mm wingspan 1.5-2.0 mm
Habitat Underground Underground
Diet Omnivores Fungus Feeders
Regions Native to South Africa; invasive in Mediterranean Europe Asia
Conservation Least Concern Not Evaluated

Geranium Bronze

A small dull brown butterfly with a distinctive white fringe and thin tail that has become a major pest of cultivated geraniums in Europe. Its larvae bore into geranium buds and stems.

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Did You Know?

Since its accidental introduction to Majorca in 1990, it has spread across most of southern Europe.

Chinese Sinentomid

A rare proturan discovered in Chinese soil that represents a unique family within the order. It has abdominal spiracles not found in other proturan families.

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Did You Know?

The discovery of this species in 1959 required the creation of an entirely new family of proturans.