Marshalli Flower Beetle vs Painted Lady

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Marshalli Flower Beetle Painted Lady
Scientific Name Smaragdesthes africana Vanessa cardui
Order Coleoptera Lepidoptera
Family Scarabaeidae Nymphalidae
Size 12-18 mm 54-73 mm wingspan
Habitat Woodlands Tundra & Arctic
Diet Nectar Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions East Africa, Southern Africa Africa, Europe, Asia, North America, Oceania
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Marshalli Flower Beetle

A small brilliant green flower chafer commonly found on flowers in open woodland. It is an important pollinator of savanna plants.

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Did You Know?

They can fly with their elytra closed by extending their hind wings through special lateral slots, unlike most beetles.

Painted Lady

The most widely distributed butterfly in the world, found on every continent except Antarctica and South America. Known for long-distance migrations across continents.

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Did You Know?

Painted lady butterflies make the longest known insect migration — up to 15,000 km round-trip between Europe and sub-Saharan Africa across generations.