Horse Chestnut Leaf-miner vs Wingless Grasshopper

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Horse Chestnut Leaf-miner Wingless Grasshopper
Scientific Name Cameraria ohridella Phaulacridium vittatum
Order Lepidoptera Orthoptera
Family Gracillariidae Acrididae
Size 7-8 mm wingspan Body 15-20 mm
Habitat Underground Grasslands
Diet Herbivores Herbivores
Regions Originally Balkans, now across Europe Australia, New Zealand
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Horse Chestnut Leaf-miner

A tiny moth that has devastated horse chestnut trees across Europe since its discovery in 1985. Larvae mine inside leaves causing brown blotches. Spread with extraordinary speed across the continent.

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Did You Know?

Spread across the entire European continent in just 20 years, one of the fastest insect invasions ever recorded.

Wingless Grasshopper

A small, common grasshopper found across Australia and New Zealand with reduced or absent wings. It can become a significant pasture pest in large numbers.

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Did You Know?

Despite being mostly wingless, it has successfully spread across two countries by walking and jumping.