Hairy-saddled Colletes vs Japanese Clouded Yellow

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Hairy-saddled Colletes Japanese Clouded Yellow
Scientific Name Colletes succinctus Colias erate
Order Hymenoptera Lepidoptera
Family Colletidae Pieridae
Size 10-13 mm 40-50 mm wingspan
Habitat Heathland Grasslands
Diet Nectar Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions Europe, Western Asia East Asia, Japan/Korea
Conservation Near Threatened Least Concern

Hairy-saddled Colletes

A late-summer plasterer bee that is a specialist on heather, secreting a cellophane-like lining in its underground nest cells. It is an important heathland indicator species.

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Did You Know?

The cellophane-like substance it secretes to waterproof its nest cells is a unique biopolymer not found in any other group of animals.

Japanese Clouded Yellow

Known as 'monjiro-cho' in Japanese, a common yellow butterfly found in open grasslands. Males are bright yellow while females may be white or yellow. A familiar sight in Japanese fields.

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Did You Know?

This butterfly is so common in Japan that it is one of the first butterflies children learn to identify, and it features in many Japanese children's songs.