Neon Cuckoo Bee vs Australian Web Spinner

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Neon Cuckoo Bee Australian Web Spinner
Scientific Name Thyreus nitidulus Metoligotoma reducta
Order Hymenoptera Embioptera
Family Apidae Australembiidae
Size 10-14 mm 8.0-12.0 mm
Habitat Woodlands Woodlands
Diet Pollen Feeders Wood Feeders
Regions Australia Oceania
Conservation Not Evaluated Not Evaluated

Neon Cuckoo Bee

A stunning blue-spotted cleptoparasite that lays eggs in the nests of blue-banded bees. The cuckoo larva hatches first and consumes the host's pollen provisions.

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Did You Know?

Their brilliant blue spots are formed by dense patches of iridescent hairs that mimic the coloring of their host bees.

Australian Web Spinner

An Australian web spinner found under eucalyptus bark in eastern Australia. It is endemic to the continent and belongs to a uniquely Australian family.

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Did You Know?

Australia has its own endemic family of web spinners found nowhere else on Earth.