Blue Nawab vs West African Lantern Bug

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Blue Nawab West African Lantern Bug
Scientific Name Polyura schreiber Zanna tenebrosa
Order Lepidoptera Hemiptera
Family Nymphalidae Fulgoridae
Size 80-100 mm wingspan 50-70 mm including head process
Habitat Forests Forests
Diet Dung Feeders Wood Feeders
Regions Southeast Asia (Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Myanmar) West and Central Africa (Cameroon, Gabon, DRC, Nigeria)
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Blue Nawab

A powerful and fast-flying butterfly with a pale bluish-white upper surface and intricate brown and orange undersides. It has distinctive short tails on the hindwings and a rapid, gliding flight.

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Did You Know?

Unlike many butterflies, the Blue Nawab rarely visits flowers and instead prefers fermenting fruit and animal dung for nutrients.

West African Lantern Bug

A large planthopper with an elongated head process and colorful wings. The forewings are cryptically patterned while the hindwings display bright colors when spread. Despite its name, it does not produce light.

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Did You Know?

The enlarged head process was once thought to glow in the dark, giving this group its misleading common name of lantern bugs.