common carpet vs Oriental House Rat

Epirrhoe alternata compared with Rattus tanezumi

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	common carpet	Oriental House Rat
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Rodentia (Rodents)
Family	Geometridae	Muridae (Mice & Rats)
Genus	Epirrhoe	Rattus
Species	Epirrhoe alternata	Rattus tanezumi

Evolutionary Relationship

common carpet and Oriental House Rat share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

common carpet

LC — Least Concern

Oriental House Rat

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	common carpet	Oriental House Rat
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

common carpet

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (4 countries) and North America (Canada, United States).

Oriental House Rat

Habitat

Inhabits tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests within the Oceanian biogeographic realm.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Eswatini, Lesotho, South Africa), Asia (Philippines, Taiwan), and Oceania and the Pacific (Kiribati).

common carpet

<em>Epirrhoe alternata</em>, commonly known as the common carpet, is a moth species found across Europe, Canada, and the United States. It typically inhabits all terrestrial and freshwater environments, often occurring in woodland edges, gardens, hedgerows, and areas where its larval host plants are abundant. The species is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, reflecting its broad distribution and generally stable populations. The common carpet belongs to the genus <em>Epirrhoe</em> within the family Geometridae. As a geometer moth, it is characterized by its distinctive wing patterns, which feature alternating light and dark banding that gives rise to its common name. The larvae typically feed on plants in the family Rubiaceae, particularly bedstraws (<em>Galium</em> species), and adults are often observed resting with wings spread flat against vegetation or bark. Biological traits such as average lifespan, wingspan, and body mass of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature. The species is a common component of temperate moth communities across its range.