Ilex Hairstreak vs North American Pygmy Mole Cricket

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Ilex Hairstreak North American Pygmy Mole Cricket
Scientific Name Satyrium ilicis Neotridactylus apicialis
Order Lepidoptera Orthoptera
Family Lycaenidae Tridactylidae
Size 30-36 mm wingspan 5-7 mm
Habitat Woodlands Rivers & Streams
Diet Herbivores Herbivores
Regions Southern and central Europe, western Asia Eastern United States
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Ilex Hairstreak

A small dark brown butterfly with an orange band on the underside of its hindwings and a tiny tail projection. It is strongly associated with young oak growth and coppiced woodland.

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Did You Know?

Despite its name suggesting holly (ilex), it feeds exclusively on oak and was misidentified when first described.

North American Pygmy Mole Cricket

A minute mole cricket found on sandy shores of rivers and ponds in North America. It burrows just beneath the wet sand surface.

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Did You Know?

Its hind tibiae bear paddle-like swimming plates that allow it to skim across the surface of water when flooded out of its burrow.