Cromwell Chafer Beetle vs Striped Hawkmoth

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Cromwell Chafer Beetle Striped Hawkmoth
Scientific Name Prodontria lewisii Hyles livornica
Order Coleoptera Lepidoptera
Family Scarabaeidae Sphingidae
Size 1-1.5 cm Wingspan 60-80mm
Habitat Deserts & Drylands Rivers & Streams
Diet Herbivores Herbivores
Regions New Zealand Europe, Africa, Asia
Conservation Critically Endangered Least Concern

Cromwell Chafer Beetle

A small chafer beetle endemic to a tiny area near Cromwell in Central Otago, New Zealand. Adults are nocturnal and feed on native grasses.

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Did You Know?

Its entire habitat is protected within an 81-hectare reserve, one of the smallest nature reserves created for an insect.

Striped Hawkmoth

A streamlined hawk-moth with olive-brown forewings crossed by pale veins and pink-banded hindwings. It is a strong migrant covering thousands of kilometers.

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Did You Know?

It migrates northward from Africa each spring and has been recorded flying non-stop across the Sahara Desert.