Three-Lined Potato Beetle vs Compass Termite

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Three-Lined Potato Beetle Compass Termite
Scientific Name Lema daturaphila Amitermes laurensis
Order Coleoptera Blattodea
Family Chrysomelidae Termitidae
Size 6-7 mm 4-6mm
Habitat Farmland Grasslands
Diet Herbivores Herbivores
Regions North America Oceania
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Three-Lined Potato Beetle

A yellow-orange leaf beetle with three black stripes, resembling a smaller Colorado potato beetle. It feeds on tomatillos, ground cherries, and related plants.

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Did You Know?

Like cereal leaf beetle larvae, its larvae pile their own excrement on their backs as a defensive shield.

Compass Termite

A termite that builds wedge-shaped mounds oriented east-west, exposing the broad face to the morning and evening sun. This orientation helps regulate internal temperature. Mounds dot the Cape York landscape.

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Did You Know?

Its mound orientation is the opposite of the magnetic termite, with the broad face pointing east-west.