Neotropical Metallic Wood Borer vs Balsam Woolly Adelgid

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Neotropical Metallic Wood Borer Balsam Woolly Adelgid
Scientific Name Euchroma gigantea Adelges piceae
Order Coleoptera Hemiptera
Family Buprestidae Adelgidae
Size 40-80 mm 0.5-1 mm
Habitat Forests Forests
Diet Wood Feeders Sap Feeders
Regions Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname Europe, North America
Conservation Not Evaluated Not Evaluated

Neotropical Metallic Wood Borer

The largest jewel beetle in the Americas with iridescent green, red, and purple elytra. It is commonly found on dead or dying tropical hardwoods.

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Did You Know?

Indigenous peoples of the Amazon use its iridescent wing covers to make traditional jewelry and ceremonial ornaments.

Balsam Woolly Adelgid

An invasive European adelgid that kills fir trees in North America. Its feeding causes abnormal wood formation called rotholz.

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Did You Know?

It nearly eliminated Fraser fir from the highest peaks of the southern Appalachian Mountains.