Swallow Prominent vs Common Aleocharine
Side-by-side species comparison
| Attribute | Swallow Prominent | Common Aleocharine |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Pheosia tremula | Atheta coriaria |
| Order | Lepidoptera | Coleoptera |
| Family | Notodontidae | Staphylinidae |
| Size | Wingspan 44-60mm | 3-4 mm |
| Habitat | Underground | Underground |
| Diet | Herbivores | Predators |
| Regions | Europe, Asia | Holarctic, now distributed globally through commercial biocontrol |
| Conservation | Least Concern | Least Concern |
Swallow Prominent
A pale grey-white moth with a distinctive dark wedge-shaped mark along the inner edge of each forewing. It has a deeply toothed trailing wing edge.
Did You Know?
Its name comes from the deeply notched trailing edge of the hindwings which gives them a swallow-tail like appearance.
Common Aleocharine
A tiny, dark brown aleocharine rove beetle now commercially sold as a biological control agent. It is an aggressive predator of fungus gnat larvae, thrips, and shore fly larvae in greenhouses.
Did You Know?
This beetle is sold commercially by biocontrol companies and released by the thousands in greenhouses to control fungus gnats organically.