Ghost Moth vs Peach Twig Borer

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Ghost Moth Peach Twig Borer
Scientific Name Hepialus humuli Anarsia lineatella
Order Lepidoptera Lepidoptera
Family Hepialidae Gelechiidae
Size 44-65 mm wingspan 12-16 mm wingspan
Habitat Grasslands Orchards
Diet Root Feeders Fruit Feeders
Regions Europe, western Asia North America, Europe, Central Asia
Conservation Least Concern Not Evaluated

Ghost Moth

Males are ghostly white and perform an eerie hovering dance over grassland at dusk to attract brownish females. This primitive moth has very short antennae and no functional mouthparts.

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Did You Know?

Pendulum-like swaying of white males above grass at twilight gives them a genuinely ghostly appearance.

Peach Twig Borer

A small gray moth whose larvae bore into new shoots and developing fruits of stone fruit trees. It is a key pest in peach and almond orchards.

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Did You Know?

Overwintering larvae create small shelters called hibernacula in the crotches of tree branches.