Dragon Swallowtail vs Casemaking Clothes Moth

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Dragon Swallowtail Casemaking Clothes Moth
Scientific Name Sericinus montela Tinea pellionella
Order Lepidoptera Lepidoptera
Family Papilionidae Tineidae
Size 52-70 mm wingspan 10-15 mm wingspan
Habitat Rivers & Streams Underground
Diet Omnivores Omnivores
Regions China, Korea, Russian Far East Cosmopolitan
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Dragon Swallowtail

A delicate white swallowtail with black veins and red spots, bearing long spatulate tails. It has a weak fluttering flight close to the ground.

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Did You Know?

It belongs to a primitive lineage of swallowtails that diverged from other papilionids over 60 million years ago.

Casemaking Clothes Moth

A small silvery-brown moth whose larva constructs a portable silken case that it drags along as it feeds. It is a significant pest of furs, woolens, and museum specimens.

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Did You Know?

The larva never leaves its portable case, enlarging it as it grows by adding fibers from whatever material it is eating.