Philippine Milk Termite vs New Caledonian Longhorn Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Philippine Milk Termite New Caledonian Longhorn Beetle
Scientific Name Coptotermes vastator Agrianome fairmairei
Order Blattodea Coleoptera
Family Rhinotermitidae Cerambycidae
Size 4-6 mm 40-70 mm
Habitat Farmland Forests
Diet Wood Feeders Wood Feeders
Regions Philippines Oceania (New Caledonia)
Conservation Least Concern Vulnerable

Philippine Milk Termite

The most destructive termite species in the Philippines, causing severe damage to buildings, trees, and crops. Colonies can be enormous with millions of workers. Soldiers produce a white, milky defensive secretion from the frontal gland.

💡

Did You Know?

This species is so destructive in the Philippines that entire coconut plantations have been devastated, leading to major government-funded control programs.

New Caledonian Longhorn Beetle

A large longhorn beetle endemic to New Caledonia, where its larvae develop in dead and decaying wood of native trees. It is one of the largest beetles in the Pacific Islands. Adults are nocturnal and attracted to lights.

💡

Did You Know?

The larvae of this beetle are considered a delicacy by the Kanak people of New Caledonia, who harvest them from rotting logs.