Water Veneer Moth vs Square-spot Rustic

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Water Veneer Moth Square-spot Rustic
Scientific Name Acentria ephemerella Xestia xanthographa
Order Lepidoptera Lepidoptera
Family Crambidae Noctuidae
Size 10-14 mm wingspan (males) 32-38 mm wingspan
Habitat Ponds & Lakes Gardens
Diet Herbivores Root Feeders
Regions Europe, North America Europe
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.

Square-spot Rustic

An extremely common autumn-flying moth with a diagnostic square stigma on the forewing. One of the most abundant moths in British gardens. Larvae feed on grasses.

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Did You Know?

Often the single most abundant moth species in garden moth traps during September.