Box Bug vs Rothschild's Silkmoth

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Box Bug Rothschild's Silkmoth
Scientific Name Gonocerus acuteangulatus Rothschildia jacobaeae
Order Hemiptera Lepidoptera
Family Coreidae Saturniidae
Size 11-14 mm 100-150 mm wingspan
Habitat Heathland Heathland
Diet Fruit Feeders Herbivores
Regions Europe Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay
Conservation Least Concern Not Evaluated

Box Bug

A slender, reddish-brown coreid bug historically restricted to box trees in southern England but now expanding its range northward. It feeds on developing fruits and seeds of box and hawthorn.

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Did You Know?

Once Britain's rarest shieldbug confined to a single box woodland, it has expanded dramatically northward since 2000 due to warming temperatures.

Rothschild's Silkmoth

A large silkmoth with reddish-brown wings featuring bold triangular translucent patches. Each wing also bears a crescent-shaped eyespot.

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Did You Know?

The clear windows in its wings are completely scaleless, which is unusual since moth wings are normally covered in thousands of scales.