African Fig Wasp vs White-Lined Sphinx Moth

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute African Fig Wasp White-Lined Sphinx Moth
Scientific Name Ceratosolen capensis Hyles lineata
Order Hymenoptera Lepidoptera
Family Agaonidae Sphingidae
Size 1-3 mm 65-90 mm wingspan
Habitat Rivers & Streams Deserts & Drylands
Diet Nectar Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions Southern Africa, East Africa Throughout North America from Canada to Central America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

African Fig Wasp

A tiny wasp with an obligate mutualistic relationship with African fig trees. Females enter figs through a narrow opening to pollinate and lay eggs.

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Did You Know?

Each fig species has its own specific fig wasp pollinator, making them one of nature's most precise co-evolutionary partnerships.

White-Lined Sphinx Moth

A common sphinx moth with bold white stripes on its forewings and a pink-banded hindwing. It hovers at flowers like a hummingbird and is active at dusk.

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Did You Know?

During outbreak years, its caterpillars can be so numerous they cross roads in large numbers and are called armyworms.