White Ermine vs Korean Malaria Mosquito

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute White Ermine Korean Malaria Mosquito
Scientific Name Spilosoma lubricipeda Anopheles sinensis
Order Lepidoptera Diptera
Family Erebidae Culicidae
Size 34-42 mm wingspan 4-5 mm
Habitat Farmland Farmland
Diet Herbivores Blood Feeders
Regions Europe, temperate Asia East Asia, including China, Korea, Japan
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

White Ermine

A pure white moth peppered with variable black dots, resembling ermine fur. The number of spots varies greatly between individuals.

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Did You Know?

Some individuals have so few spots they appear nearly pure white, while others are heavily marked.

Korean Malaria Mosquito

A medium-sized mosquito with spotted wings that breeds in rice paddies across East Asia. It is a vector of Plasmodium vivax malaria in China, Korea, and Japan. It is predominantly zoophilic but will bite humans when animal hosts are unavailable.

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Did You Know?

Vivax malaria re-emerged in South Korea in the 1990s near the DMZ, transmitted by this species breeding in rice paddies.