Spotted Asparagus Beetle vs North American Pygmy Mole Cricket

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Spotted Asparagus Beetle North American Pygmy Mole Cricket
Scientific Name Crioceris duodecimpunctata Neotridactylus apicialis
Order Coleoptera Orthoptera
Family Chrysomelidae Tridactylidae
Size 6-7 mm 5-7 mm
Habitat Farmland Rivers & Streams
Diet Herbivores Herbivores
Regions Europe, introduced to North America Eastern United States
Conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern

Spotted Asparagus Beetle

A reddish-orange beetle with twelve black spots on its elytra. It is a pest of asparagus, with larvae feeding inside the berries.

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Did You Know?

Unlike its relative the common asparagus beetle, its larvae feed inside the berries rather than on stems.

North American Pygmy Mole Cricket

A minute mole cricket found on sandy shores of rivers and ponds in North America. It burrows just beneath the wet sand surface.

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Did You Know?

Its hind tibiae bear paddle-like swimming plates that allow it to skim across the surface of water when flooded out of its burrow.