Wax Scale vs Red-bordered Metalmark

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Wax Scale Red-bordered Metalmark
Scientific Name Ceroplastes destructor Caria ino
Order Hemiptera Lepidoptera
Family Coccidae Riodinidae
Size 3-5 mm 28-35 mm wingspan
Habitat Heathland Heathland
Diet Sap Feeders Omnivores
Regions Oceania, Africa South Texas through Mexico and Central America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Wax Scale

A scale insect that covers itself with a thick waxy dome for protection.

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Did You Know?

Its waxy covering can be nearly a centimeter thick and perfectly dome-shaped.

Red-bordered Metalmark

A dark metalmark butterfly with bright red-orange borders along the wing edges and metallic blue-green scaling at the wing bases. It perches with wings spread flat.

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Did You Know?

Males are fiercely territorial, perching on sunlit leaf surfaces and darting out at any passing insect.