Mediterranean Stick Insect vs Firethorn Leaf Miner

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Mediterranean Stick Insect Firethorn Leaf Miner
Scientific Name Bacillus rossius Phyllonorycter leucographella
Order Phasmatodea Lepidoptera
Family Bacillidae Gracillariidae
Size 60-105mm 7-8 mm wingspan
Habitat Heathland Underground
Diet Herbivores Herbivores
Regions Europe Southern Europe, spreading north
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Mediterranean Stick Insect

A slender brown or green stick insect common around the Mediterranean. It is one of the few stick insects native to Europe. Some populations are entirely female, reproducing by parthenogenesis.

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Did You Know?

It is one of only a handful of stick insect species native to Europe, most being tropical.

Firethorn Leaf Miner

A tiny moth whose larvae create blister mines on pyracantha leaves. Originally from southern Europe, it has spread rapidly northward. Mines cause silvery blotches on leaves.

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Did You Know?

First recorded in Britain in 1989 and spread across the country within a decade on planted pyracantha hedges.