Garden Grass-veneer vs Gaboon Viper Caterpillar Moth

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Garden Grass-veneer Gaboon Viper Caterpillar Moth
Scientific Name Chrysoteuchia culmella Lobobunaea phaedusa
Order Lepidoptera Lepidoptera
Family Crambidae Saturniidae
Size 20-26 mm wingspan 90-120 mm wingspan
Habitat Gardens Forests
Diet Root Feeders Wood Feeders
Regions Europe, Northern Asia Central Africa (Cameroon, Gabon, DRC, Congo)
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Garden Grass-veneer

A small straw-colored moth with a silvery sheen and prominent labial palps forming a snout. It is one of the commonest grass moths in European lawns.

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Did You Know?

Hundreds can be flushed from a single patch of lawn when walking through grass at dusk.

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.