Green Milkweed Leaf Beetle vs Australian Satin Sawfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Green Milkweed Leaf Beetle Australian Satin Sawfly
Scientific Name Labidomera clivicollis Perga lewisi
Order Coleoptera Hymenoptera
Family Chrysomelidae Pergidae
Size 8-12 mm 14-20 mm
Habitat Grasslands Woodlands
Diet Herbivores Herbivores
Regions North America Australia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Green Milkweed Leaf Beetle

A large, handsome beetle with blue-black elytra marked with orange to cream-colored spots and a blue-black pronotum. It is commonly found on milkweed plants across North America.

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Did You Know?

Like monarch butterflies, this beetle sequesters toxic cardiac glycosides from milkweed, and its bold coloration warns predators of its unpalatability.

Australian Satin Sawfly

A large Australian sawfly with a satiny dark blue-black body. Larvae are robust and feed in clusters on eucalyptus foliage.

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Did You Know?

The larvae tap their bodies rhythmically against the branch when disturbed, producing vibrations that may alert other larvae in the colony.