Mint Leaf Beetle vs Dichotomius Dung Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Mint Leaf Beetle Dichotomius Dung Beetle
Scientific Name Chrysolina herbacea Dichotomius carolinus
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Chrysomelidae Scarabaeidae
Size 7-10 mm 20-30 mm
Habitat Wetlands Farmland
Diet Herbivores Dung Feeders
Regions Europe, Western Asia North America (southeastern United States), Central America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Mint Leaf Beetle

A brilliant metallic green beetle that feeds exclusively on mint plants. Its coppery-green sheen makes it one of the most attractive European leaf beetles.

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Did You Know?

It can strip a mint plant bare in days, yet its metallic green colour perfectly matches the leaves it devours.

Dichotomius Dung Beetle

A large, robust black tunneling dung beetle with a distinctive bifurcate (forked) horn in males. Females have a transverse ridge on the head instead. It is a nocturnal species that excavates deep tunnels under cattle dung.

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Did You Know?

The forked horn gives this genus its name, from the Greek dichotomous meaning divided in two.