Green Dock Beetle vs Madagascan Moon Moth

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Green Dock Beetle Madagascan Moon Moth
Scientific Name Gastrophysa viridula Argema mittrei male form
Order Coleoptera Lepidoptera
Family Chrysomelidae Saturniidae
Size 4-6 mm 200 mm wingspan with 150 mm tails
Habitat Grasslands Rivers & Streams
Diet Herbivores Herbivores
Regions Europe Madagascar
Conservation Least Concern Not Evaluated

Green Dock Beetle

A small, brilliant metallic green beetle that feeds on dock and sorrel plants. Gravid females have enormously swollen abdomens.

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Did You Know?

A female's abdomen can swell to several times its normal size when full of eggs, dwarfing the rest of her body.

Madagascan Moon Moth

The male form has exceptionally long tail streamers that can exceed 15 cm. These tails spin in flight, confusing bat echolocation.

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Did You Know?

The spinning tail streamers deflect bat attacks away from the moth's body.