European Cherry Fruit Fly vs White Witch Moth

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute European Cherry Fruit Fly White Witch Moth
Scientific Name Rhagoletis cerasi Thysania agrippina
Order Diptera Lepidoptera
Family Tephritidae Erebidae
Size 4-5 mm 250-310 mm wingspan
Habitat Orchards Forests
Diet Omnivores Omnivores
Regions Europe, Western Asia Central America, South America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

European Cherry Fruit Fly

A small black fly with distinctive wing banding that infests sweet and sour cherries. Larvae feed inside cherries, causing them to rot and drop.

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Did You Know?

It is a textbook example of sympatric speciation, with host races on sweet and sour cherries.

White Witch Moth

Holds the record for the widest wingspan of any moth or butterfly at up to 310 mm. A nocturnal neotropical species with pale grey-white wings and wavy dark markings.

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Did You Know?

With a wingspan up to 31 cm, the white witch moth has the widest wingspan of any living insect — broader than a dinner plate and rivaling small birds in flight.