Sculptured Pine Borer vs Northern Wood Ant

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Sculptured Pine Borer Northern Wood Ant
Scientific Name Chalcophora virginiensis Formica aquilonia
Order Coleoptera Hymenoptera
Family Buprestidae Formicidae
Size 23-32 mm 4-8 mm
Habitat Forests Forests
Diet Omnivores Sap Feeders
Regions Eastern North America Scandinavia, Finland, northern Russia, Scotland
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Sculptured Pine Borer

A large North American jewel beetle with deeply sculptured elytra giving a textured appearance. Dark metallic bronze coloring.

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Did You Know?

The deeply ridged and sculpted elytra are unique among North American jewel beetles.

Northern Wood Ant

A medium-sized red and black ant that builds large thatch mounds in boreal forests. Colonies can contain hundreds of thousands of workers. The mound orientation and structure help regulate nest temperature in cold climates.

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Did You Know?

The ant mound acts as a solar collector, oriented to catch maximum sunlight, keeping the colony up to 20 degrees warmer than ambient temperature.