Norse Grayling vs Teratembiid Web Spinner

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Norse Grayling Teratembiid Web Spinner
Scientific Name Oeneis norna Teratembia geniculata
Order Lepidoptera Embioptera
Family Nymphalidae Teratembiidae
Size 44-54 mm wingspan 6.0-9.0 mm
Habitat Heathland Heathland
Diet Omnivores Wood Feeders
Regions Scandinavia, Finland, northern Russia, Siberia North America
Conservation Least Concern Not Evaluated

Norse Grayling

A medium-sized grayish-brown butterfly with subtle orange patches and small eyespots. The wings have a semi-translucent quality that helps with camouflage on lichen-covered ground. It has an erratic, low flight.

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Did You Know?

This butterfly emerges in alternate years only, with populations synchronized so that all adults in an area appear in the same year.

Teratembiid Web Spinner

A small web spinner found in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It has distinctively bent hind femora used for navigating silk tunnels.

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Did You Know?

The bent knees of this web spinner act as anchors allowing it to brace inside its silk tunnels when threatened.