Brimstone vs Japanese Giant Silkmoth

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Brimstone Japanese Giant Silkmoth
Scientific Name Gonepteryx rhamni Saturnia japonica
Order Lepidoptera Lepidoptera
Family Pieridae Saturniidae
Size 52-60 mm wingspan 85-120 mm wingspan
Habitat Heathland Mountains
Diet Nectar Feeders Omnivores
Regions Europe, Asia, North Africa Japan
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Brimstone

Males are vivid sulphur-yellow; females are pale greenish-white. Leaf-shaped wings provide excellent camouflage at rest.

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Did You Know?

The word butterfly may derive from the butter-yellow colour of the Brimstone, one of the earliest to fly.

Japanese Giant Silkmoth

A large reddish-brown moth with prominent eyespots on all four wings. It is endemic to Japan and closely related to the European Emperor Moth.

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Did You Know?

It is considered a harbinger of spring in rural Japan, where it is called 'kusu-san'.