Poplar Admiral vs Four-Spotted Hister Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Poplar Admiral Four-Spotted Hister Beetle
Scientific Name Limenitis populi Hister quadrimaculatus
Order Lepidoptera Coleoptera
Family Nymphalidae Histeridae
Size 70-90 mm wingspan 5-7 mm
Habitat Forests Heathland
Diet Dung Feeders Dung Feeders
Regions Central and northern Europe, temperate Asia Europe
Conservation Least Concern (declining in western Europe) Least Concern

Poplar Admiral

Europe's largest nymphalid butterfly with broad dark wings bearing white bands and orange submarginal crescents. It is shy and rarely descends from the forest canopy.

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Did You Know?

It is so difficult to observe that many lepidopterists travel years before seeing one in the wild.

Four-Spotted Hister Beetle

A glossy black hister beetle with four orange-red spots on its wing cases. It is associated with mammal dung in pastures and heathlands.

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Did You Know?

It typically arrives at fresh dung within the first hour and remains for several days until the pat dries out.