Green-and-gold Christmas Beetle vs Metallic Eumolpine Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Green-and-gold Christmas Beetle Metallic Eumolpine Beetle
Scientific Name Anoplognathus viridiaeneus Chrysochus asclepiadeus
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Scarabaeidae Chrysomelidae
Size 20-28 mm 8-10 mm
Habitat Beaches & Coastal Mountains
Diet Root Feeders Herbivores
Regions Australia Southern and Central Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Green-and-gold Christmas Beetle

A striking iridescent beetle with green and gold metallic sheen on its elytra. It is one of the most colorful of all Australian Christmas beetles.

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Did You Know?

Its green and gold coloring coincidentally matches Australia's national sporting colors.

Metallic Eumolpine Beetle

A brilliant metallic dark blue to violet beetle closely related to the North American dogbane beetles. It is found on vincetoxicum and other Asclepiadaceae in the mountains of Europe.

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Did You Know?

Like its North American relatives on milkweed, it sequesters toxic cardiac glycosides from its host plant to deter predators.