Beet Armyworm vs Australian Stiletto Fly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Beet Armyworm Australian Stiletto Fly
Scientific Name Spodoptera exigua Anabarhynchus bilineatus
Order Lepidoptera Diptera
Family Noctuidae Therevidae
Size 25-30 mm wingspan 8-14 mm
Habitat Farmland Heathland
Diet Herbivores Herbivores
Regions Worldwide warm regions Australia
Conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern

Beet Armyworm

A small grayish-brown moth whose green caterpillars attack a wide range of vegetable and field crops. Larvae often skeletonize leaves before moving to fruits and growing points.

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Did You Know?

Young larvae spin fine silk threads that allow them to balloon on the wind to new host plants.

Australian Stiletto Fly

A slender gray stiletto fly with two pale longitudinal stripes on the thorax and a distinctly tapered abdomen. It is commonly found resting on foliage or on the ground in bushland.

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Did You Know?

Australia has an exceptionally high diversity of stiletto flies, with over 500 described species in the family.