African Grass Blue vs Lana'i Sandalwood Moth

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute African Grass Blue Lana'i Sandalwood Moth
Scientific Name Zizeeria knysna Iliahia pahulu
Order Lepidoptera Lepidoptera
Family Lycaenidae Gracillariidae
Size 16-22 mm wingspan 5-8 mm wingspan
Habitat Parks Deserts & Drylands
Diet Nectar Feeders Herbivores
Regions Africa, Southern Europe, South Asia Oceania
Conservation Least Concern Critically Endangered

African Grass Blue

Tiny blue butterfly with spotted gray-brown undersides. One of the smallest butterflies in Africa.

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Did You Know?

With a wingspan under two centimetres, it is among the tiniest butterflies in the world.

Lana'i Sandalwood Moth

A critically endangered moth discovered in 2026, known only from a small grove of roughly 30 sandalwood trees on the island of Lanai. Its larvae mine sandalwood leaves.

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Did You Know?

This moth is known from just one grove of 30 trees — if those sandalwood trees disappear, this entire species vanishes with them.