Giant Pill Millipede vs Large Poplar Longhorn

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Giant Pill Millipede Large Poplar Longhorn
Scientific Name Zephronia siamensis Saperda carcharias
Order Sphaerotheriida Coleoptera
Family Zephroniidae Cerambycidae
Size 30-50 mm diameter when rolled 20-30 mm
Habitat Caves Farmland
Diet Wood Feeders Wood Feeders
Regions Southeast Asia (Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia) Europe, Russia, Siberia, China
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Giant Pill Millipede

A large pill millipede that can roll into a perfect sphere the size of a golf ball when threatened. The body is dark brown to black with smooth, overlapping plates.

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Did You Know?

When rolled into a ball, the armor plates lock together so tightly that most predators cannot pry them apart.

Large Poplar Longhorn

A large grey-yellow lamiin covered in dense ochre pubescence, found across Eurasia in poplar-dominated habitats. It is a significant pest of poplar plantations, with larvae boring into the lower trunk. Adults are nocturnal.

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Did You Know?

Heavy infestations at the base of poplar trunks can cause them to snap in windstorms.