Marsh Fritillary vs Horseshoe Crab Cockroach

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Marsh Fritillary Horseshoe Crab Cockroach
Scientific Name Euphydryas aurinia Hemiblabera tenebricosa
Order Lepidoptera Blattodea
Family Nymphalidae Blaberidae
Size 38-50 mm wingspan 40-50 mm
Habitat Underground Underground
Diet Gall Makers Wood Feeders
Regions Europe, temperate Asia, North Africa Cuba, Central America
Conservation Least Concern (but declining and protected under E Not Evaluated

Marsh Fritillary

A colourful butterfly with a complex mosaic of orange, cream, and brown markings across its wings. It is the most rapidly declining fritillary in Europe and is legally protected.

💡

Did You Know?

Its populations undergo dramatic boom-and-bust cycles driven by a parasitic wasp that specialises on its larvae.

Horseshoe Crab Cockroach

A stout, dark cockroach whose rounded body shape resembles a horseshoe crab. It is a burrowing species from Central America.

💡

Did You Know?

Females give live birth to nymphs rather than depositing egg cases, a trait common in Blaberidae.