Brown House Moth vs White-Lined Sphinx Moth

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Brown House Moth White-Lined Sphinx Moth
Scientific Name Hofmannophila pseudospretella Hyles lineata
Order Lepidoptera Lepidoptera
Family Oecophoridae Sphingidae
Size 15-25 mm wingspan 65-90 mm wingspan
Habitat Indoors Deserts & Drylands
Diet Herbivores Nectar Feeders
Regions Cosmopolitan; believed native to Asia Throughout North America from Canada to Central America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

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.

White-Lined Sphinx Moth

A common sphinx moth with bold white stripes on its forewings and a pink-banded hindwing. It hovers at flowers like a hummingbird and is active at dusk.

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Did You Know?

During outbreak years, its caterpillars can be so numerous they cross roads in large numbers and are called armyworms.