Lesser Grain Borer vs Lord Howe Island Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Lesser Grain Borer Lord Howe Island Beetle
Scientific Name Rhyzopertha dominica Anoplognathus macleayi
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Bostrichidae Scarabaeidae
Size 2-3 mm 2-3 cm
Habitat Gardens Forests
Diet Seed Feeders Herbivores
Regions Worldwide tropical and subtropical regions Australia
Conservation Not Evaluated Critically Endangered

Lesser Grain Borer

A cylindrical dark brown beetle that bores into whole grain kernels, reducing them to powder. It is especially destructive in warm tropical grain stores.

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Did You Know?

It produces a distinctive sweet, musty odor that can taint infested grain.

Lord Howe Island Beetle

A scarab beetle endemic to Lord Howe Island with metallic green coloring. It has suffered severe decline due to introduced rats.

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Did You Know?

This beetle was once so abundant it was considered a pest but is now extremely rare after rat introduction in 1918.