South American Flower Weevil vs Saphirinus Dung Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute South American Flower Weevil Saphirinus Dung Beetle
Scientific Name Cholus cinctus Coprophanaeus saphirinus
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Curculionidae Scarabaeidae
Size 15-25 mm 18-30 mm
Habitat Forests Forests
Diet Fruit Feeders Dung Feeders
Regions South America (Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador) South America (Brazil, Argentina)
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

South American Flower Weevil

A large, strikingly patterned weevil with a black body covered in brilliant turquoise and gold scale patterns. Its long, curved rostrum is used to bore into fruit and flower buds. It is one of the most visually striking weevils in the Neotropics.

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Did You Know?

Its brilliant turquoise scales have a crystalline nanostructure that produces color through photonic crystal effects rather than pigments.

Saphirinus Dung Beetle

A stunning metallic sapphire-blue tunneling dung beetle with brilliant iridescence. Males have a prominent horn. It is one of the most beautifully colored dung beetles in the Neotropics and an important decomposer.

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Did You Know?

The sapphire-blue metallic sheen is so intense that museum specimens retain their color for over a century.