Lana'i Sandalwood Moth vs Birch Leaf-Roller Sawfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Lana'i Sandalwood Moth Birch Leaf-Roller Sawfly
Scientific Name Iliahia pahulu Pamphilius betulae
Order Lepidoptera Hymenoptera
Family Gracillariidae Pamphiliidae
Size 5-8 mm wingspan 9-13 mm
Habitat Deserts & Drylands Woodlands
Diet Herbivores Herbivores
Regions Oceania Europe, northern Asia
Conservation Critically Endangered Least Concern

Lana'i Sandalwood Moth

A critically endangered moth discovered in 2026, known only from a small grove of roughly 30 sandalwood trees on the island of Lanai. Its larvae mine sandalwood leaves.

💡

Did You Know?

This moth is known from just one grove of 30 trees — if those sandalwood trees disappear, this entire species vanishes with them.

Birch Leaf-Roller Sawfly

A flat-bodied sawfly with long, thread-like antennae and a broad abdomen. Larvae roll birch leaves into tubes using silk and feed inside these shelters.

💡

Did You Know?

The larva creates an elaborate rolled-leaf shelter that protects it from both predators and weather while it feeds inside.