Chimney Sweeper Moth vs Red Velvet Ant

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Chimney Sweeper Moth Red Velvet Ant
Scientific Name Odezia atrata Dasymutilla magnifica
Order Lepidoptera Hymenoptera
Family Geometridae Mutillidae
Size 25-30 mm wingspan 12-20 mm
Habitat Grasslands Deserts & Drylands
Diet Nectar Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions Europe Southwestern United States, Mexico
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Chimney Sweeper Moth

A small, entirely sooty-black day-flying moth with white-tipped wing fringes. It flies over grasslands where pignut grows.

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Did You Know?

Its all-black coloration is unique among European geometrid moths and makes it instantly recognizable.

Red Velvet Ant

A large, brilliantly red-haired velvet ant found in the arid regions of the American Southwest. Females are wingless and run rapidly across open ground.

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Did You Know?

Its exoskeleton is so tough that entomological pins often bend when researchers attempt to mount specimens.