Clover Cutworm vs Common Furrow Bee

Anarta trifolii compared with Lasioglossum calceatum

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Clover Cutworm	Common Furrow 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	Halictidae
Genus	Anarta	Lasioglossum
Species	Anarta trifolii	Lasioglossum calceatum

Evolutionary Relationship

Clover Cutworm and Common Furrow Bee share a common ancestor at the Class level: Insecta. (Insects)

Conservation Status

Clover Cutworm

LC — Least Concern

Common Furrow Bee

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Clover Cutworm	Common Furrow 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).

Common Furrow Bee

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden.

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.

Common Furrow Bee

<em>Lasioglossum calceatum</em>, commonly known as the common furrow bee, is a eusocial bee in the family Halictidae. The species has been documented in Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden, and its range extends broadly across Europe and parts of Asia. Furrow bees in the genus <em>Lasioglossum</em> are among the most diverse groups of bees, and <em>L. calceatum</em> is one of the more commonly encountered halictid species in temperate European habitats. The species typically inhabits a variety of open and semi-open landscapes including grasslands, meadows, gardens, and woodland edges, nesting in the ground. It is assessed as Least Concern, consistent with its wide European distribution. <em>Lasioglossum calceatum</em> is a generalist forager, visiting a broad range of flowering plants for pollen and nectar, and thus contributes to pollination services in diverse habitats. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature. Colonies are typically small and primitively eusocial, with a single foundress queen and worker offspring, making this species of interest for studies of the evolution of sociality in bees.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden