Changa Mole Cricket vs Abbott's Sphinx Moth

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Changa Mole Cricket Abbott's Sphinx Moth
Scientific Name Scapteriscus didactylus Sphecodina abbottii
Order Orthoptera Lepidoptera
Family Gryllotalpidae Sphingidae
Size 30-40 mm 50-70 mm
Habitat Underground Underground
Diet Root Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions Caribbean, South America Eastern North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Changa Mole Cricket

A large mole cricket native to South America that became a severe pest in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. It has only two claws on its digging forefeet.

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Did You Know?

Its name changa comes from the Puerto Rican Spanish word for the insect, where it historically devastated sugarcane plantations.

Abbott's Sphinx Moth

A unique hawk moth with scalloped brown wings and a yellow and brown banded body resembling a large hornet. Its flight is rapid and bee-like, flying mainly at dusk.

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Did You Know?

Abbott's sphinx is named after John Abbott, an 18th-century English naturalist who produced over 3,000 paintings of Georgian insects.