Smoky Wainscot vs Green Dock Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Smoky Wainscot Green Dock Beetle
Scientific Name Mythimna impura Gastrophysa viridula
Order Lepidoptera Coleoptera
Family Noctuidae Chrysomelidae
Size 28-34 mm wingspan 4-6 mm
Habitat Grasslands Grasslands
Diet Herbivores Herbivores
Regions Europe Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Smoky Wainscot

A dull brownish wainscot moth extremely common in grasslands. Larvae feed on various grass species. Often confused with the similar Common Wainscot.

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Did You Know?

So similar to the Common Wainscot that reliable identification often requires examination of genitalia.

Green Dock Beetle

A small, brilliant metallic green beetle that feeds on dock and sorrel plants. Gravid females have enormously swollen abdomens.

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Did You Know?

A female's abdomen can swell to several times its normal size when full of eggs, dwarfing the rest of her body.