Garden Grass-veneer vs Clover Root Weevil

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Garden Grass-veneer Clover Root Weevil
Scientific Name Chrysoteuchia culmella Sitona obsoletus
Order Lepidoptera Coleoptera
Family Crambidae Curculionidae
Size 20-26 mm wingspan 3-5 mm
Habitat Gardens Grasslands
Diet Root Feeders Root Feeders
Regions Europe, Northern Asia Europe, New Zealand (invasive)
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Garden Grass-veneer

A small straw-colored moth with a silvery sheen and prominent labial palps forming a snout. It is one of the commonest grass moths in European lawns.

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Did You Know?

Hundreds can be flushed from a single patch of lawn when walking through grass at dusk.

Clover Root Weevil

A small, grey-brown weevil that feeds on clover roots and nitrogen-fixing nodules. It became a major invasive pest in New Zealand pastures.

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Did You Know?

By destroying nitrogen-fixing root nodules, it reduces pasture fertility, costing New Zealand agriculture hundreds of millions of dollars annually.