Yellow-banded Eucalyptus Longhorn vs Small Scissor Bee

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Yellow-banded Eucalyptus Longhorn Small Scissor Bee
Scientific Name Phoracantha recurva Chelostoma florisomne
Order Coleoptera Hymenoptera
Family Cerambycidae Megachilidae
Size 14-28 mm 7-10 mm
Habitat Farmland Woodlands
Diet Wood Feeders Wood Feeders
Regions Australia; invasive in California, Mediterranean, South America Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Yellow-banded Eucalyptus Longhorn

An Australian cerambycid similar to P. semipunctata but with more pronounced yellowish bands and recurved elytral apices. It has also become invasive worldwide in eucalyptus plantations and often outcompetes its congener.

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Did You Know?

Where both Phoracantha species co-occur, P. recurva often displaces P. semipunctata through larval competition.

Small Scissor Bee

A slender black solitary bee that nests in beetle borings in dead wood. It is a specialist pollinator of buttercups.

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Did You Know?

Males often sleep inside buttercup flowers at night, clinging to the petals as they close.