Telephone Pole Beetle vs Viburnum Leaf Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Telephone Pole Beetle Viburnum Leaf Beetle
Scientific Name Micromalthus debilis Pyrrhalta viburni
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Micromalthidae Chrysomelidae
Size 1.5-2.5 mm 4-6 mm
Habitat Woodlands Gardens
Diet Wood Feeders Herbivores
Regions North America Europe (native), introduced to North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Telephone Pole Beetle

The sole surviving member of an ancient beetle family dating back 200 million years.

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Did You Know?

Larvae can reproduce by paedogenesis, giving live birth while still immature.

Viburnum Leaf Beetle

A small, brownish-yellow beetle with dense pubescence that has become a serious invasive pest of ornamental viburnum shrubs. Larvae skeletonize leaves from the underside.

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Did You Know?

Females chew holes in twigs and deposit eggs inside, capping them with a mixture of excrement and chewed bark that hardens into a protective cover.