Arctic Weevil vs Greenland Noctuid Moth

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Arctic Weevil Greenland Noctuid Moth
Scientific Name Otiorhynchus arcticus Sympistis zetterstedtii
Order Coleoptera Lepidoptera
Family Curculionidae Noctuidae
Size 5-8 mm 24-30 mm wingspan
Habitat Tundra & Arctic Tundra & Arctic
Diet Root Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions Arctic Scandinavia, northern Russia, Svalbard, Iceland Greenland, Arctic Canada, Svalbard, Arctic Scandinavia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Arctic Weevil

A small, dark, flightless weevil with a short broad snout and rough-textured elytra. Adults are nocturnal and hide under stones during the day. Larvae feed on plant roots in tundra soil.

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Did You Know?

Being flightless, this weevil relies entirely on walking to disperse, which means isolated Arctic populations can be genetically distinct.

Greenland Noctuid Moth

A small, cryptically patterned moth with mottled gray and brown forewings. It is one of the few noctuid moths that has adapted to life in the High Arctic. Adults fly during the continuous daylight of the polar summer.

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Did You Know?

Unlike most noctuids, which are nocturnal, this moth flies during the Arctic day because there is no true night during the polar summer.