Knapweed Gall Weevil vs Boxer Mantis

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Knapweed Gall Weevil Boxer Mantis
Scientific Name Bangasternus fausti Otomantis scutigera
Order Coleoptera Mantodea
Family Curculionidae Hymenopodidae
Size 4-6 mm 20-30 mm
Habitat Grasslands Grasslands
Diet Gall Makers Fruit Feeders
Regions Europe, Central Asia Africa
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Knapweed Gall Weevil

A weevil that induces galls in knapweed flower heads. Larvae develop inside the enlarged flower buds. Used in biological control of invasive knapweeds in North America.

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Did You Know?

Released in North America as biocontrol for invasive spotted knapweed, which costs ranchers millions annually.

Boxer Mantis

A small African mantis named for its habit of rapidly striking with its raptorial forelegs in a boxing-like manner. It has distinctive banded legs and a compact body.

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Did You Know?

Boxer mantises strike at prey with some of the fastest foreleg movements of any mantis species, snatching tiny fruit flies from the air with extraordinary precision.