Gaboon Viper Caterpillar Moth vs Asian Longhorned Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Gaboon Viper Caterpillar Moth Asian Longhorned Beetle
Scientific Name Lobobunaea phaedusa Anoplophora glabripennis
Order Lepidoptera Coleoptera
Family Saturniidae Cerambycidae
Size 90-120 mm wingspan 20-35 mm
Habitat Forests Woodlands
Diet Wood Feeders Wood Feeders
Regions Central Africa (Cameroon, Gabon, DRC, Congo) Asia, North America (invasive), Europe (invasive)
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Gaboon Viper Caterpillar Moth

A large saturniid moth with rich brown and reddish-purple wings bearing prominent eye-spots. The caterpillars are spectacularly spined and brightly colored. Adults do not feed and rely entirely on energy stored during the larval stage.

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Did You Know?

The caterpillars have stinging spines that can cause severe skin irritation, protecting them from most predators.

Asian Longhorned Beetle

An invasive wood-boring beetle from East Asia that attacks healthy hardwood trees. The only eradication method is destroying infested trees entirely — no chemical treatment works.

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Did You Know?

The only way to stop this beetle is to cut down and destroy every infested tree plus all susceptible trees within a buffer zone — there is no cure once a tree is infested.