Brown House Moth vs Glanville Fritillary

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Brown House Moth Glanville Fritillary
Scientific Name Hofmannophila pseudospretella Melitaea cinxia
Order Lepidoptera Lepidoptera
Family Oecophoridae Nymphalidae
Size 15-25 mm wingspan 33-40 mm wingspan
Habitat Indoors Beaches & Coastal
Diet Herbivores Herbivores
Regions Cosmopolitan; believed native to Asia Europe, temperate Asia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern (rare in Britain)

Brown House Moth

A dull bronze-brown moth with darker flecks that is a widespread household pest. Unlike clothes moths, it feeds on a vast range of organic materials.

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Did You Know?

It can complete its life cycle on a diet of owl pellets alone, making old bird nests ideal nurseries.

Glanville Fritillary

An orange and black chequered butterfly confined in Britain to the Isle of Wight's coastal cliffs. It was named after Lady Eleanor Glanville, an eccentric 17th-century collector.

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Did You Know?

Lady Glanville's relatives tried to have her will annulled, claiming only a lunatic would collect butterflies.