Speckled Longhorn vs Ragweed Leaf Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Speckled Longhorn Ragweed Leaf Beetle
Scientific Name Pachytodes cerambyciformis Zygogramma suturalis
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Cerambycidae Chrysomelidae
Size 7-12mm 6-8 mm
Habitat Hedgerows Grasslands
Diet Wood Feeders Herbivores
Regions Europe North America (native), introduced to Russia, China, Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Speckled Longhorn

A small yellow longhorn beetle with variable black spots and markings. It is a frequent visitor to hogweed and other umbelliferous flowers.

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Did You Know?

Despite being common it is remarkably variable in its spot pattern with no two individuals looking exactly alike.

Ragweed Leaf Beetle

A brown beetle with dark longitudinal stripes on the elytra, introduced to several countries as a biocontrol agent against common ragweed. Both adults and larvae feed on ragweed foliage.

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Did You Know?

It was introduced from North America to the former Soviet Union in the 1970s as biological control against ragweed, a major hay fever allergen source.