Rhododendron Lace Bug vs Eighty-eight Butterfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Rhododendron Lace Bug Eighty-eight Butterfly
Scientific Name Stephanitis rhododendri Diaethria clymena
Order Hemiptera Lepidoptera
Family Tingidae Nymphalidae
Size 3-4 mm Wingspan 30-40mm
Habitat Underground Forests
Diet Herbivores Herbivores
Regions North America, Europe South America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Rhododendron Lace Bug

A tiny lace bug with transparent, reticulate wings that infests rhododendron leaves. Native to North America, it causes silvery stippling on upper leaf surfaces and dark excrement spots beneath. Severe infestations reduce plant vigor.

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Did You Know?

Adults and nymphs always feed on the undersides of leaves, creating a distinctive pattern of dark tar-like fecal spots that serves as a key diagnostic sign of infestation.

Eighty-eight Butterfly

A small butterfly with striking black and white markings on its underwings that clearly spell out the number 88 or 89.

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Did You Know?

The number 88 pattern on its wings is so precise that it appears to have been printed making it one of the most photographed butterflies.