Mediterranean Webspinner vs Lord Howe Island Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Mediterranean Webspinner Lord Howe Island Beetle
Scientific Name Haploembia solieri Anoplognathus macleayi
Order Embioptera Coleoptera
Family Oligotomidae Scarabaeidae
Size 7-10 mm 2-3 cm
Habitat Heathland Forests
Diet Herbivores Herbivores
Regions Mediterranean Europe, North Africa Australia
Conservation Least Concern Critically Endangered

Mediterranean Webspinner

A small, brown webspinner native to the Mediterranean region. It constructs silk tunnels on rocks and walls, and reproduces parthenogenetically in many populations.

💡

Did You Know?

Many populations consist entirely of females that reproduce without mating, a rare trait among insects.

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.

💡

Did You Know?

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