Western Pine Beetle vs Eastern Hercules Flower Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Western Pine Beetle Eastern Hercules Flower Beetle
Scientific Name Dendroctonus brevicomis Mecynorrhina polyphemus
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Curculionidae Scarabaeidae
Size 3-5 mm 40-80 mm
Habitat Forests Forests
Diet Wood Feeders Sap Feeders
Regions Western United States from British Columbia to Mexico West and Central Africa
Conservation Least Concern Not Evaluated

Western Pine Beetle

A small dark brown bark beetle that attacks ponderosa pine trees. It is one of the most destructive bark beetles in western forests.

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Did You Know?

It uses aggregation pheromones to coordinate mass attacks that can overwhelm a healthy tree's resin defenses.

Eastern Hercules Flower Beetle

A large African flower beetle with variable coloration from green to brown. Males have a short forked horn on the head.

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Did You Know?

Named after the cyclops Polyphemus due to the single horn on the male's head resembling a central eye.