Mottled Tortoise Beetle vs Western Cedar Borer

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Mottled Tortoise Beetle Western Cedar Borer
Scientific Name Deloyala guttata Trachykele blondeli
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Chrysomelidae Buprestidae
Size 5-6 mm 15-25 mm
Habitat Grasslands Forests
Diet Herbivores Wood Feeders
Regions North America, Central America Western North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Mottled Tortoise Beetle

A small tortoise beetle with variable coloration, often gold with irregular black spots on the elytra. Like its relatives, it has broadly expanded margins that overhang the body.

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Did You Know?

Its coloring can shift between gold and dull orange-brown depending on humidity and the beetle's physiological state.

Western Cedar Borer

A large, dark metallic jewel beetle that develops in western red cedar. Larvae create distinctive oval exit holes in timber.

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Did You Know?

Their development can take over a decade in dry seasoned wood, making them among the slowest-developing beetles.