Western Banded Glowworm vs Viburnum Leaf Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Western Banded Glowworm Viburnum Leaf Beetle
Scientific Name Zarhipis integripennis Pyrrhalta viburni
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Phengodidae Chrysomelidae
Size 15-30 mm (female), 8-12 mm (male) 4-6 mm
Habitat Heathland Gardens
Diet Predators Herbivores
Regions North America, Western United States Europe (native), introduced to North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

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.

💡

Did You Know?

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

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.

💡

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.