Cloaked Groundhopper vs Blackburn's Sphinx Moth

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Cloaked Groundhopper Blackburn's Sphinx Moth
Scientific Name Tetrix ceperoi Manduca blackburni
Order Orthoptera Lepidoptera
Family Tetrigidae Sphingidae
Size 7-10 mm 100-120 mm wingspan
Habitat Heathland Heathland
Diet Herbivores Nectar Feeders
Regions Western Europe, Mediterranean Oceania (Hawaii)
Conservation Least Concern Endangered

Cloaked Groundhopper

A small pygmy grasshopper of bare, damp ground on heathlands and coastal salt pans in western Europe. It is distinguished from related species by its longer wings and preference for saline habitats.

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Did You Know?

It is one of the few grasshoppers tolerant of saline conditions, thriving on coastal salt pans where few insects venture.

Blackburn's Sphinx Moth

The largest native insect in Hawaii, this sphinx moth has a wingspan up to 120 mm. It was once widespread across the islands but is now extremely rare due to habitat loss and invasive species. Its larvae originally fed on native aiea trees but now also use introduced tobacco.

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Did You Know?

This moth has adapted to feed on introduced tobacco plants, a relative of its native host, which may have helped prevent its extinction.