Knapweed Gall Weevil vs Common Web Spinner

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Knapweed Gall Weevil Common Web Spinner
Scientific Name Bangasternus fausti Embia major
Order Coleoptera Embioptera
Family Curculionidae Embiidae
Size 4-6 mm 10.0-15.0 mm
Habitat Grasslands Woodlands
Diet Gall Makers Gall Makers
Regions Europe, Central Asia Europe, Africa
Conservation Least Concern Not Evaluated

Knapweed Gall Weevil

A weevil that induces galls in knapweed flower heads. Larvae develop inside the enlarged flower buds. Used in biological control of invasive knapweeds in North America.

💡

Did You Know?

Released in North America as biocontrol for invasive spotted knapweed, which costs ranchers millions annually.

Common Web Spinner

A dark brown web spinner that constructs silk galleries on tree bark and under stones. Males are winged while females are always wingless.

💡

Did You Know?

Web spinners produce silk from glands in their enlarged front feet, the only insects to spin silk with their tarsi.