Giant Swamp Leaf Beetle vs Oregon Silverspot Butterfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Giant Swamp Leaf Beetle Oregon Silverspot Butterfly
Scientific Name Donacia provostii Speyeria zerene hippolyta
Order Coleoptera Lepidoptera
Family Chrysomelidae Nymphalidae
Size 8-11 mm 5-6 cm wingspan
Habitat Wetlands Grasslands
Diet Herbivores Herbivores
Regions Eastern North America United States
Conservation Least Concern Endangered

Giant Swamp Leaf Beetle

One of the larger species of reed beetle, with a metallic golden-green to coppery body and distinctive long antennae. Adults rest on emergent aquatic plants in wetlands.

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Did You Know?

Like all Donaciinae, larvae breathe underwater by piercing plant roots and tapping into the air spaces (aerenchyma) inside the plant tissue.

Oregon Silverspot Butterfly

A medium-sized fritillary butterfly with bright silver spots on its hindwing undersides. It inhabits coastal grasslands from Washington to northern California.

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Did You Know?

Its larvae feed exclusively on early blue violet plants that grow in wind-swept coastal prairies.