Viburnum Leaf Beetle vs Hemiandrus Ground Weta

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Viburnum Leaf Beetle Hemiandrus Ground Weta
Scientific Name Pyrrhalta viburni Hemiandrus maculifrons
Order Coleoptera Orthoptera
Family Chrysomelidae Anostostomatidae
Size 4-6 mm 15-25 mm
Habitat Gardens Underground
Diet Herbivores Herbivores
Regions Europe (native), introduced to North America New Zealand
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

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.

Hemiandrus Ground Weta

A New Zealand ground weta that is one of the very few orthopterans showing maternal care. Females guard their eggs and newly hatched nymphs in underground burrows.

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Did You Know?

Females remain sealed in their burrow with their eggs for months without feeding, one of the rarest parental behaviors in crickets.