Varied Carpet Beetle vs Reed Leopard Moth

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Varied Carpet Beetle Reed Leopard Moth
Scientific Name Anthrenus verbasci Phragmataecia castaneae
Order Coleoptera Lepidoptera
Family Dermestidae Cossidae
Size 2-3 mm 30–50 mm wingspan
Habitat Underground Wetlands
Diet Omnivores Omnivores
Regions Worldwide Europe, Western Asia, North Africa
Conservation Not Evaluated Not Evaluated

Varied Carpet Beetle

A tiny, round beetle with mottled white, brown, and yellow scales on its elytra. It is a worldwide pest of natural fiber collections.

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Did You Know?

Museum curators consider it one of the greatest threats to insect specimen collections.

Reed Leopard Moth

A cossid moth whose larvae bore into the stems of common reed and bulrush. It is widespread across European wetlands and reedbeds.

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Did You Know?

It is one of the few cossid moths that bores into herbaceous plants rather than woody trees.