Pacific Velvet Ant vs Botany Bay Diamond Weevil

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Pacific Velvet Ant Botany Bay Diamond Weevil
Scientific Name Dasymutilla sackenii Chrysolopus spectabilis
Order Hymenoptera Coleoptera
Family Mutillidae Curculionidae
Size 10-16 mm 15-25 mm
Habitat Beaches & Coastal Beaches & Coastal
Diet Parasitoids Omnivores
Regions Western North America Australia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Pacific Velvet Ant

A medium-sized velvet ant with orange and black coloring found along the Pacific coast of North America. It parasitizes ground-nesting bees and wasps.

💡

Did You Know?

Males are winged and look so different from the wingless females that they were originally described as separate species.

Botany Bay Diamond Weevil

A large weevil covered in brilliant pale green scales with black diamond-shaped patches. It was one of the first Australian insects described by European science.

💡

Did You Know?

It was collected by Joseph Banks during Captain Cook's first voyage to Australia in 1770.