Giant Peacock Moth vs Twig-girdling Longhorn

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Giant Peacock Moth Twig-girdling Longhorn
Scientific Name Saturnia pyri Ceroplesis thunbergii
Order Lepidoptera Coleoptera
Family Saturniidae Cerambycidae
Size 120-160 mm 20-35 mm
Habitat Orchards Orchards
Diet Fruit Feeders Wood Feeders
Regions Southern Europe, North Africa, Middle East Southern Africa
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Giant Peacock Moth

Europe's largest moth, with a wingspan up to 16 cm and prominent eyespots on all four wings. Its brown-gray wings are bordered with white and feature a distinctive dark comma-shaped mark.

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Did You Know?

Jean-Henri Fabre used the giant peacock moth in his famous pheromone experiments in the 1870s, demonstrating that male moths could locate females from great distances by scent alone.

Twig-girdling Longhorn

A grey and black longhorn beetle with pale speckled markings. It girdles living twigs to create suitable egg-laying sites.

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Did You Know?

Females methodically chew a neat groove around a branch until it dies, providing their larvae with drying wood to feed on.