Meal Moth vs Common Leopard

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Meal Moth Common Leopard
Scientific Name Pyralis farinalis Phalanta phalantha
Order Lepidoptera Lepidoptera
Family Pyralidae Nymphalidae
Size 10-14 mm body; 18-30 mm wingspan 50-65 mm wingspan
Habitat Indoors Heathland
Diet Seed Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions Worldwide South Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh)
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Meal Moth

A distinctive moth with olive and reddish-brown banded wings that infests stored grain and flour. Larvae live in silken tubes within infested food products.

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Did You Know?

Its larval silk tubes can form dense mats in stored grain, binding the product into solid masses.

Common Leopard

A medium-sized tawny butterfly with black spots arranged in a leopard-like pattern across the wings. It has a rapid, gliding flight and is commonly seen sunbathing with wings spread open.

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Did You Know?

This is one of the most adaptable butterflies in India, thriving equally well in remote forests and bustling city gardens.