Clover Cutworm vs Coastal Leaf-Cutter Bee

Anarta trifolii compared with Megachile maritima

Key Differences

Clover Cutworm is Least Concern while Coastal Leaf-Cutter Bee is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Clover Cutworm	Coastal Leaf-Cutter Bee
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees & Wasps)
Family	Noctuidae	Megachilidae
Genus	Anarta	Megachile
Species	Anarta trifolii	Megachile maritima

Evolutionary Relationship

Clover Cutworm and Coastal Leaf-Cutter Bee share a common ancestor at the Class level: Insecta. (Insects)

View Class: Insecta

Conservation Status

Clover Cutworm

LC — Least Concern

Coastal Leaf-Cutter Bee

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Clover Cutworm	Coastal Leaf-Cutter Bee
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Clover Cutworm

Habitat

Inhabits tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests and deserts and xeric shrublands within the Afrotropic biogeographic realm.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Cabo Verde), Asia (Yemen), Europe (4 countries), and North America (Canada, United States).

Coastal Leaf-Cutter Bee

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, and Luxembourg. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Clover Cutworm

The clover cutworm (Anarta trifolii) is a noctuid moth in the family Noctuidae, order Lepidoptera, with a wide distribution spanning Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America. The species has a characteristic cutworm larva that severs plant stems near the soil surface or feeds on leaves and developing seeds, causing significant damage to crops. Primary host plants include clover (Trifolium), alfalfa, beet, and various other broadleaf crops and weeds, making A. trifolii an agricultural pest of moderate to significant importance in affected regions. Adults are brownish-grey moths with subtle wing patterns typical of the noctuidae family, and like most noctuids, they are nocturnal and attracted to light sources. The species is highly mobile, with adults capable of long-distance migration that enables rapid colonization of new agricultural areas. A. trifolii inhabits a broad range of open habitats including agricultural fields, meadows, steppes, and disturbed grasslands across its extensive range. Its polyphagous larval diet and migratory adult behavior contribute to its wide geographic range spanning multiple continents. In Europe, it is found from the Mediterranean to Scandinavia; in North America it occurs in both Canada and the United States. A. trifolii is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, with populations considered stable and the species benefiting from the widespread availability of agricultural host plants. Natural enemies include parasitoid wasps and tachinid flies, along with pathogens including nuclear polyhedrosis viruses used in biological control.

Coastal Leaf-Cutter Bee

Megachile maritima, the coastal leaf-cutter bee, is a solitary bee in the family Megachilidae that constructs nests from leaf pieces cut from plants using its mandibles, a behaviour characteristic of the entire genus. The species is native to western and northern Europe, with confirmed populations in Belgium, Denmark, and Luxembourg, inhabiting coastal sand dunes, sandy grassland, and inland sandy heathland where it nests in the ground in loose, well-drained sandy soil. Female Megachile maritima cut semicircular pieces from the leaves of various plants, particularly vetches, clovers, and other legumes, to line the individual brood cells she constructs within the nest burrow. Each cell is provisioned with a pollen and nectar paste before a single egg is laid and the cell sealed with additional leaf pieces. Males emerge first and patrol vegetation in search of females. The species is classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN, reflecting substantial population declines associated with the loss of open sandy habitats through coastal development, vegetation succession and scrub encroachment on dunes, reduction of foraging plant diversity through agricultural intensification, and general declines in wild bee populations across northwestern Europe driven by pesticide use and habitat loss.