Calleta Silk Moth vs Southwestern Corn Borer

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Calleta Silk Moth Southwestern Corn Borer
Scientific Name Eupackardia calleta Diatraea grandiosella
Order Lepidoptera Lepidoptera
Family Saturniidae Crambidae
Size 85-110 mm wingspan 25-35 mm wingspan
Habitat Deserts & Drylands Farmland
Diet Omnivores Herbivores
Regions Southwestern United States, Mexico Southern United States, Mexico
Conservation Least Concern Not Evaluated

Calleta Silk Moth

A dark brown silk moth with striking white crescent markings and a broad white postmedial band on each wing. It is native to the Sonoran Desert and surrounding regions.

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Did You Know?

Native peoples historically harvested its cocoons to make rattles and small containers.

Southwestern Corn Borer

A pale moth whose larvae bore into corn stalks and girdle stems from the inside, causing extensive lodging. It is a major corn pest in the southern Great Plains of the United States.

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Did You Know?

Overwintering larvae girdle the corn stalk from the inside, deliberately weakening it so the stalk falls and provides insulated shelter.