Cinnabar Moth vs Southern Jumping Bristletail

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Cinnabar Moth Southern Jumping Bristletail
Scientific Name Tyria jacobaeae Dilta hibernica
Order Lepidoptera Archaeognatha
Family Erebidae Machilidae
Size 32-42 mm wingspan 10-12 mm
Habitat Beaches & Coastal Beaches & Coastal
Diet Omnivores Omnivores
Regions Europe, central Asia (introduced to Australasia and Americas) Ireland, United Kingdom, France, Portugal
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Cinnabar Moth

A day-flying moth with charcoal-black wings marked with crimson-red stripes and spots. It has been deliberately introduced worldwide as a biological control agent for ragwort.

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Did You Know?

Its caterpillars store toxic alkaloids from ragwort, making them so distasteful that birds learn to avoid them.

Southern Jumping Bristletail

A bristletail found on rocky coasts of western Europe, from Ireland to Portugal. It has large eyes and a distinctively humped thorax.

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Did You Know?

It is most active at night and hides in rock crevices during the day.