Coffee Bee Hawk Moth vs Marshalli Flower Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Coffee Bee Hawk Moth Marshalli Flower Beetle
Scientific Name Cephonodes picus Smaragdesthes africana
Order Lepidoptera Coleoptera
Family Sphingidae Scarabaeidae
Size 35-50 mm 12-18 mm
Habitat Farmland Woodlands
Diet Nectar Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions East Africa, Madagascar East Africa, Southern Africa
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Coffee Bee Hawk Moth

A smaller clearwing hawk moth with transparent wings and a compact olive and yellow body. It is often found around coffee plantations in Africa where its larvae feed on Rubiaceae.

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Did You Know?

This species is sometimes considered a minor pest of coffee plantations in East Africa, where its caterpillars can defoliate young coffee plants.

Marshalli Flower Beetle

A small brilliant green flower chafer commonly found on flowers in open woodland. It is an important pollinator of savanna plants.

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Did You Know?

They can fly with their elytra closed by extending their hind wings through special lateral slots, unlike most beetles.