Large White vs Dawson's Burrowing Bee

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Large White Dawson's Burrowing Bee
Scientific Name Pieris brassicae Amegilla dawsoni
Order Lepidoptera Hymenoptera
Family Pieridae Apidae
Size 58-63 mm wingspan 18-24 mm
Habitat Farmland Heathland
Diet Nectar Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions Europe, Asia, Africa Western Australia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

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.

Dawson's Burrowing Bee

A large solitary bee endemic to Western Australia that nests in massive aggregations in hardpan clay. Males engage in violent aerial combat to mate with emerging females.

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Did You Know?

Male combat is so fierce that individuals frequently die from injuries sustained during mating battles.