Meal Moth vs Schaufuss's Rover Ant
Side-by-side species comparison
| Attribute | Meal Moth | Schaufuss's Rover Ant |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Pyralis farinalis | Tetramorium schaufussii |
| Order | Lepidoptera | Hymenoptera |
| Family | Pyralidae | Formicidae |
| Size | 10-14 mm body; 18-30 mm wingspan | 2-3.5 mm |
| Habitat | Indoors | Underground |
| Diet | Seed Feeders | Seed Feeders |
| Regions | Worldwide | Madagascar |
| 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.
Did You Know?
Its larval silk tubes can form dense mats in stored grain, binding the product into solid masses.
Schaufuss's Rover Ant
A small ant with coarsely sculptured integument and short propodeal spines. It belongs to a species group that is entirely endemic to Madagascar.
Did You Know?
Molecular studies suggest its species group arrived in Madagascar via a single colonization event and then diversified explosively.