Five-Spotted Hawk Moth vs Cicatricosus Scarab

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Five-Spotted Hawk Moth Cicatricosus Scarab
Scientific Name Manduca quinquemaculata Scarabaeus cicatricosus
Order Lepidoptera Coleoptera
Family Sphingidae Scarabaeidae
Size 95-130 mm wingspan 18-25 mm
Habitat Farmland Farmland
Diet Nectar Feeders Dung Feeders
Regions Throughout North America Iberian Peninsula, North Africa
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Five-Spotted Hawk Moth

A large mottled gray moth whose caterpillar is the familiar tomato hornworm with a distinctive black horn. The adult has five pairs of yellow-orange spots on its abdomen.

💡

Did You Know?

Its caterpillar is frequently confused with the tobacco hornworm but can be distinguished by its V-shaped white markings instead of diagonal stripes.

Cicatricosus Scarab

A medium-sized dark roller with a rough, pitted exoskeleton that gives it a scarred appearance. It inhabits coastal sandy areas and constructs dung balls from rabbit and livestock dung. Active primarily at dusk.

💡

Did You Know?

The rough texture of its exoskeleton helps it grip sand as it rolls dung balls across dune habitats.