Golden-tailed Bull Ant vs Coffee Bee Hawk Moth

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Golden-tailed Bull Ant Coffee Bee Hawk Moth
Scientific Name Myrmecia chrysogaster Cephonodes picus
Order Hymenoptera Lepidoptera
Family Formicidae Sphingidae
Size 15-22 mm 35-50 mm
Habitat Heathland Farmland
Diet Nectar Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions Australia, Oceania East Africa, Madagascar
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Golden-tailed Bull Ant

A strikingly coloured bull ant with a distinctive golden-yellow gaster and reddish-brown head and thorax. Like other Myrmecia species, it possesses a powerful sting and excellent eyesight.

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Did You Know?

Unlike most ants, bull ant workers hunt individually rather than cooperatively, relying on their keen vision.

Coffee Bee Hawk Moth

A smaller clearwing hawk moth with transparent wings and a compact olive and yellow body. It is often found around coffee plantations in Africa where its larvae feed on Rubiaceae.

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Did You Know?

This species is sometimes considered a minor pest of coffee plantations in East Africa, where its caterpillars can defoliate young coffee plants.