Pindarus Christmas Beetle vs Soldier-heavy Termite

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Pindarus Christmas Beetle Soldier-heavy Termite
Scientific Name Anoplognathus pindarus Pericapritermes nitobei
Order Coleoptera Blattodea
Family Scarabaeidae Termitidae
Size 18-22 mm 3-5 mm
Habitat Forests Forests
Diet Herbivores Omnivores
Regions Australia Southeast Asia, Taiwan, Pacific Islands
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Pindarus Christmas Beetle

A medium-sized brown Christmas beetle with a distinctly punctured thorax. It is found in coastal and hinterland forests of New South Wales.

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Did You Know?

Like other Christmas beetles, its larvae can spend over a year developing underground before emerging.

Soldier-heavy Termite

A soil-feeding termite found across Southeast Asia and the Pacific, notable for its snapping-mandible soldiers. Workers consume humus and organic-rich soil. Colonies build diffuse subterranean nests in forest soils.

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Did You Know?

Soldiers have asymmetric mandibles that snap shut with tremendous force, producing an audible click that can be heard by researchers excavating the nest.