Green Castiarina Jewel Beetle vs Cottony Cushion Scale
Side-by-side species comparison
| Attribute | Green Castiarina Jewel Beetle | Cottony Cushion Scale |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Castiarina viridissima | Icerya purchasi |
| Order | Coleoptera | Hemiptera |
| Family | Buprestidae | Monophlebidae |
| Size | 8-12 mm | 5-8 mm including egg sac |
| Habitat | Forests | Orchards |
| Diet | Wood Feeders | Wood Feeders |
| Regions | Australia, Oceania | Originally Australia, now cosmopolitan |
| Conservation | Least Concern | Least Concern |
Green Castiarina Jewel Beetle
A brilliant emerald-green jewel beetle found in Australian heathlands and forests. Adults are avid flower visitors and are frequently observed on tea-tree and bottlebrush blossoms during spring.
Did You Know?
Its scientific name literally means 'most green,' reflecting the intense iridescent colouration of its exoskeleton.
Cottony Cushion Scale
A scale insect with a distinctive white fluted egg sac that devastated California's citrus industry in the 1880s. Its control by vedalia beetles was the first major success of biological pest control.
Did You Know?
The introduction of vedalia ladybirds to control it in 1889 saved the California citrus industry from collapse.