Golden Carpenter Ant vs Lange's Metalmark Butterfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Golden Carpenter Ant Lange's Metalmark Butterfly
Scientific Name Camponotus sericeiventris Apodemia mormo langei
Order Hymenoptera Lepidoptera
Family Formicidae Riodinidae
Size 8-18 mm 2.5-3.5 cm wingspan
Habitat Forests Beaches & Coastal
Diet Herbivores Herbivores
Regions Central and South America United States
Conservation Least Concern Endangered

Golden Carpenter Ant

A striking large ant with dense golden or silvery pubescence covering its gaster, giving it a metallic sheen. Workers are among the largest ants in the Neotropics. They nest in both live and dead trees in tropical forests.

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Did You Know?

The dense pubescence on their body is thought to serve a thermoregulatory function similar to the Saharan silver ant.

Lange's Metalmark Butterfly

A small metalmark butterfly found only at Antioch Dunes in California. Its larvae feed exclusively on naked-stemmed buckwheat.

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Did You Know?

It was one of the first insects listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act in 1976.