Mars Elephant Beetle vs Redbay Ambrosia Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Mars Elephant Beetle Redbay Ambrosia Beetle
Scientific Name Megasoma mars Xyleborus glabratus
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Scarabaeidae Curculionidae (Scolytinae)
Size 50-130 mm 1.8–2.4 mm
Habitat Mountains Forests
Diet Sap Feeders Wood Feeders
Regions Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia Southeastern United States, Southeast Asia
Conservation Not Evaluated Not Evaluated

Mars Elephant Beetle

A large rhinoceros beetle with distinctive yellowish hairs covering its elytra. Males have a long pronotal horn and two smaller cephalic horns.

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Did You Know?

The dense golden hairs on its wing covers help it regulate body temperature in cooler montane environments.

Redbay Ambrosia Beetle

An invasive beetle from Southeast Asia that vectors laurel wilt disease in the Americas. It bores into healthy trees of the laurel family.

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Did You Know?

It has devastated redbay tree populations across the southeastern US and now threatens the avocado industry.