Agave Snout Weevil vs Autumnal Moth

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Agave Snout Weevil Autumnal Moth
Scientific Name Scyphophorus acupunctatus Epirrita autumnata
Order Coleoptera Lepidoptera
Family Curculionidae Geometridae
Size 10-15 mm 28-35 mm wingspan
Habitat Farmland Forests
Diet Herbivores Herbivores
Regions Mexico, Southwestern United States, Mediterranean (invasive) Scandinavia, Finland, northern Russia, subarctic Siberia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Agave Snout Weevil

A large, black weevil that attacks agave and yucca plants by boring into the base. It can destroy entire agave plantations used for tequila production.

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Did You Know?

Infestations of this weevil have threatened Mexico's tequila industry by killing the blue agave plants used to make the spirit.

Autumnal Moth

A grayish-brown moth with faint wavy crosslines on the forewings. It flies in autumn in subarctic birch forests. Periodic outbreaks of its larvae can completely defoliate vast areas of mountain birch forest.

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Did You Know?

Outbreaks of this moth in Scandinavian birch forests occur roughly every 10 years and can kill entire mountain birch forests across thousands of hectares.