Clover Hayworm Moth vs Narrow-headed Slender Opossum

Hypsopygia costalis compared with Marmosops cracens

Key Differences

• Clover Hayworm Moth is Least Concern while Narrow-headed Slender Opossum is Data Deficient.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Clover Hayworm Moth	Narrow-headed Slender Opossum
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Didelphimorphia (Didelphimorphia)
Family	Pyralidae	Didelphidae
Genus	Hypsopygia	Marmosops
Species	Hypsopygia costalis	Marmosops cracens

Evolutionary Relationship

Clover Hayworm Moth and Narrow-headed Slender Opossum share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Clover Hayworm Moth

LC — Least Concern

Narrow-headed Slender Opossum

DD — Data Deficient

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Clover Hayworm Moth	Narrow-headed Slender Opossum
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Clover Hayworm Moth

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (5 countries) and North America (Canada, United States).

Narrow-headed Slender Opossum

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found in Venezuela.

Clover Hayworm Moth

The clover hayworm moth (Hypsopygia costalis) is a pyralid moth in the family Pyralidae, subfamily Hypsopygia, order Lepidoptera. The common name hayworm moth reflects the larval habit of feeding on dry plant material, including stored hay, dried plant debris, leaf litter, and decaying organic matter — a diet unusual among moths, most of which feed on living plant tissue. Larvae of H. costalis inhabit accumulated plant detritus such as thatch, stored grass clippings, compost, and dry stacks of hay or straw, earning the species its association with agricultural storage environments. Adults are small, brightly colored moths with distinctive red, yellow, and ochre wing markings that make them more visible than many pyralids, potentially functioning as aposematic coloration or mimicry. The species is distributed across Europe, including France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, extending to North America. It inhabits a variety of habitats wherever decaying plant material accumulates, including agricultural settings, gardens, woodland edges, and semi-natural grasslands. H. costalis is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, with populations considered stable and the species not subject to significant threats. The species has one generation per year in most of its range, with adults flying from late spring through summer. Larvae overwinter in plant debris. H. costalis rarely causes significant economic damage despite its association with stored plant material.