Granulate Ambrosia Beetle vs Australian King Cricket

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Granulate Ambrosia Beetle Australian King Cricket
Scientific Name Xylosandrus crassiusculus Australostylus montanus
Order Coleoptera Orthoptera
Family Curculionidae Anostostomatidae
Size 2-3 mm Body 30-50 mm
Habitat Orchards Forests
Diet Fungus Feeders Fungus Feeders
Regions Southeastern United States, spreading northward Australia
Conservation Least Concern (invasive) Least Concern

Granulate Ambrosia Beetle

A tiny reddish-brown ambrosia beetle that bores into a wide range of hardwood trees. It cultivates a symbiotic fungus inside its galleries as food for its larvae.

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Did You Know?

It is one of the few beetles that practices true agriculture by farming fungus gardens inside tree trunks.

Australian King Cricket

A large, robust cricket found in the cool mountain forests of southeastern Australia. It is flightless and nocturnal with powerful hind legs.

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Did You Know?

King crickets are closely related to New Zealand wetas and share a common Gondwanan ancestor.