Western Banded Glowworm vs Ordinate Large-headed Bee

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Western Banded Glowworm Ordinate Large-headed Bee
Scientific Name Zarhipis integripennis Ctenocolletes ordensis
Order Coleoptera Hymenoptera
Family Phengodidae Stenotritidae
Size 15-30 mm (female), 8-12 mm (male) 10-13 mm
Habitat Heathland Heathland
Diet Predators Nectar Feeders
Regions North America, Western United States Northern Western Australia
Conservation Least Concern Data Deficient

Western Banded Glowworm

A North American glowworm beetle where the larviform female produces rows of greenish-yellow bioluminescent spots along her body segments. Males are winged with elaborate feathery antennae.

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Did You Know?

The glowing female looks like a miniature train at night, with paired lateral light organs resembling lit windows on a railcar.

Ordinate Large-headed Bee

A rarely collected bee from the Kimberley region of northern Western Australia. It is known from very few specimens and its biology remains largely unstudied.

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Did You Know?

So few specimens have been collected that almost nothing is known about its nesting behavior or floral preferences.