Water Veneer Moth vs Mocker Swallowtail

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Water Veneer Moth Mocker Swallowtail
Scientific Name Acentria ephemerella Papilio dardanus
Order Lepidoptera Lepidoptera
Family Crambidae Papilionidae
Size 10-14 mm wingspan (males) 80-105 mm wingspan
Habitat Ponds & Lakes Underground
Diet Herbivores Nectar Feeders
Regions Europe, North America Sub-Saharan Africa, Madagascar
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Water Veneer Moth

A unique aquatic moth whose larvae live entirely underwater in freshwater lakes. Females are often wingless and spend their whole lives below the water surface.

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Did You Know?

Wingless females mate underwater and never leave the lake where they were born.

Mocker Swallowtail

A remarkable swallowtail where females mimic several different toxic butterfly species while males look completely different. Males are yellow and black with tails.

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Did You Know?

Females can occur in over a dozen different color forms, each mimicking a different toxic butterfly species.