Variegated Flower Beetle vs Xyelid Pine Bud Sawfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Variegated Flower Beetle Xyelid Pine Bud Sawfly
Scientific Name Gnorimus variabilis Xyela minor
Order Coleoptera Hymenoptera
Family Scarabaeidae Xyelidae
Size 15-20 mm 3-4 mm
Habitat Parks Forests
Diet Pollen Feeders Pollen Feeders
Regions Europe North America
Conservation Vulnerable Least Concern

Variegated Flower Beetle

A dark brown or black beetle with variable yellow-white spots on the elytra. It is extremely rare and tied to ancient hollow trees.

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Did You Know?

It is so rare in Britain that it has been found at only a handful of sites in its entire recorded history.

Xyelid Pine Bud Sawfly

A tiny sawfly with the characteristic elongated third antennal segment of its ancient family. Adults emerge in early spring to coincide with pine pollen release.

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Did You Know?

Xyelid sawflies time their adult emergence precisely to the few weeks when pine male cones are shedding pollen, their larvae's only food source.