Boll Weevil vs Malabar Large White

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Boll Weevil Malabar Large White
Scientific Name Anthonomus grandis Pieris brassicae mahometana
Order Coleoptera Lepidoptera
Family Curculionidae Pieridae
Size 4-8 mm 55-65 mm wingspan
Habitat Farmland Forests
Diet Herbivores Herbivores
Regions North America, Central America Western Ghats, India
Conservation Least Concern Endangered

Boll Weevil

A small grayish-brown weevil with a long curved snout used to bore into cotton bolls. It devastated the American cotton industry in the early 20th century.

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Did You Know?

The boll weevil caused such economic destruction that it inadvertently forced Southern farmers to diversify their crops, ultimately benefiting some communities.

Malabar Large White

A rare subspecies of the Large White butterfly endemic to the Western Ghats of India. Found only in high-altitude forests. Threatened by habitat degradation.

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Did You Know?

A high-altitude relict population isolated in the Western Ghats since the last ice age.