Papua New Guinea Jewel Beetle vs Western Banded Glowworm

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Papua New Guinea Jewel Beetle Western Banded Glowworm
Scientific Name Chrysochroa mniszechii Zarhipis integripennis
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Buprestidae Phengodidae
Size 25-40 mm 15-30 mm (female), 8-12 mm (male)
Habitat Forests Heathland
Diet Wood Feeders Predators
Regions Oceania (Papua New Guinea) North America, Western United States
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Papua New Guinea Jewel Beetle

A spectacularly colourful jewel beetle found in Papua New Guinea, with an iridescent metallic body that shifts between green, blue, and purple. Like all buprestids, its larvae are wood borers. Adults are found on logs and tree trunks in tropical forest.

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Did You Know?

The brilliant metallic colours of jewel beetles are caused by thin-film interference in layered structures within their exoskeleton, inspiring biomimetic research in optics.

Western Banded Glowworm

A North American glowworm beetle where the larviform female produces rows of greenish-yellow bioluminescent spots along her body segments. Males are winged with elaborate feathery antennae.

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Did You Know?

The glowing female looks like a miniature train at night, with paired lateral light organs resembling lit windows on a railcar.