Ponderous Borer vs Elegant Brown Lacewing

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Ponderous Borer Elegant Brown Lacewing
Scientific Name Trichocnemis spiculatus Sympherobius elegans
Order Coleoptera Neuroptera
Family Cerambycidae Hemerobiidae
Size 40-60 mm 5-8 mm wingspan
Habitat Ponds & Lakes Orchards
Diet Wood Feeders Wood Feeders
Regions Western United States, British Columbia Europe, North Africa
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Ponderous Borer

One of the largest cerambycids in North America, this prionine breeds in the roots and lower trunks of dead ponderosa pines. Adults are dark brown with a somewhat rough body surface. They are nocturnal and attracted to lights.

💡

Did You Know?

Larval development can take up to six years in dry dead wood, one of the longest development times for any beetle.

Elegant Brown Lacewing

A tiny, delicate brown lacewing found in bark crevices of broadleaved trees. One of the smallest hemerobiid species in Europe.

💡

Did You Know?

At barely 5 mm wingspan, it is small enough to hunt insects living inside bark fissures.