Scotch Argus vs Blue Cuckoo Wasp

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Scotch Argus Blue Cuckoo Wasp
Scientific Name Erebia aethiops Trichrysis cyanea
Order Lepidoptera Hymenoptera
Family Nymphalidae Chrysididae
Size 40-48 mm wingspan 5-8 mm
Habitat Woodlands Woodlands
Diet Omnivores Wood Feeders
Regions Europe, temperate Asia Europe, Asia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Scotch Argus

A dark brown butterfly with russet-orange bands containing eyespots, found in northern grasslands and light woodland. It flies in a bouncing manner close to the ground.

💡

Did You Know?

In Britain, it is confined to Scotland and a single colony in the Lake District surviving since the last ice age.

Blue Cuckoo Wasp

A uniformly deep blue metallic cuckoo wasp found across Europe and Asia. It parasitizes various cavity-nesting wasps and bees in dead wood and walls.

💡

Did You Know?

Its entirely blue coloration without any red or gold makes it one of the most distinctive cuckoo wasps in Europe.