Variegated Cutworm vs Tailed Jay

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Variegated Cutworm Tailed Jay
Scientific Name Peridroma saucia Graphium agamemnon
Order Lepidoptera Lepidoptera
Family Noctuidae Papilionidae
Size 40-55 mm wingspan Wingspan 80-100mm
Habitat Farmland Farmland
Diet Seed Feeders Herbivores
Regions Worldwide Asia, Oceania
Conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern

Variegated Cutworm

A mottled brown moth whose plump soil-dwelling caterpillars cut through stems of seedlings at ground level. It attacks a very wide range of vegetables and field crops.

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Did You Know?

A single caterpillar can cut down several seedlings in one night, often felling far more plants than it actually eats.

Tailed Jay

A fast-flying black swallowtail butterfly covered with spots of green or blue-green. It rarely settles and is constantly in motion.

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Did You Know?

It is one of the few butterflies that flaps its wings even while feeding on flowers never fully stopping.