Cuban Clear-winged Moth vs Arctic Woolly Bear Caterpillar Moth

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Cuban Clear-winged Moth Arctic Woolly Bear Caterpillar Moth
Scientific Name Carmenta bassiformis Gynaephora rossii
Order Lepidoptera Lepidoptera
Family Sesiidae Erebidae
Size 20-30 mm wingspan 28-38 mm wingspan
Habitat Underground Heathland
Diet Herbivores Herbivores
Regions Cuba Canadian Arctic, Alaska, northern Siberia
Conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern

Cuban Clear-winged Moth

A wasp-mimicking moth found in Cuba with transparent wings. Its narrow body and buzzing flight closely resemble a small wasp.

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Did You Know?

Its near-perfect wasp mimicry deters birds and other visual predators.

Arctic Woolly Bear Caterpillar Moth

A close relative of the Greenland woolly bear, this moth has pale gray wings and a densely furred body. The caterpillar is covered in long dark hairs and freezes solid each winter. Adults have reduced mouthparts.

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Did You Know?

This moth's caterpillar is parasitized at very high rates by ichneumon wasps, which may extend its already decade-long development even further.