Western Balsam Bark Beetle vs Zela Metalmark

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Western Balsam Bark Beetle Zela Metalmark
Scientific Name Dryocoetes confusus Emesis zela
Order Coleoptera Lepidoptera
Family Curculionidae (Scolytinae) Riodinidae
Size 3.2–4.5 mm 25-30 mm wingspan
Habitat Mountains Mountains
Diet Wood Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions Western North America Southeastern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, Mexico
Conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern

Western Balsam Bark Beetle

A bark beetle that primarily attacks subalpine fir in western North America. It often colonizes trees already weakened by root disease.

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Did You Know?

It produces a pheromone called exo-brevicomin that attracts other beetles to mass-attack weakened trees.

Zela Metalmark

A small butterfly with rust-brown wings marked with fine dark lines and subtle metallic scaling. It inhabits mountain canyons in the borderlands of Arizona and Mexico.

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Did You Know?

It is one of the target species for butterfly watchers visiting the famous canyons of southeastern Arizona.