Japanese Dung Beetle vs Large White

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Japanese Dung Beetle Large White
Scientific Name Copris pecuarius Pieris brassicae
Order Coleoptera Lepidoptera
Family Scarabaeidae Pieridae
Size 15-22 mm 58-63 mm wingspan
Habitat Farmland Farmland
Diet Dung Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions East Asia, Japan/Korea Europe, Asia, Africa
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Japanese Dung Beetle

A tunneling dung beetle found in Japan and Korea that provisions underground brood chambers with dung balls. Males have a horn on the head used for fighting in tunnels. Important for nutrient cycling.

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Did You Know?

Both parents cooperate in raising offspring, with the female shaping dung into brood balls while the male guards the tunnel entrance from intruders.

Large White

A common white butterfly with black wingtips and one or two black spots on the forewing. Its green-yellow caterpillars are a major agricultural pest of brassica crops.

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Did You Know?

The caterpillars sequester mustard oils from their food plants and can spray these noxious chemicals at attacking predators.