Green Protea Beetle vs White-Lined Sphinx Moth

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Green Protea Beetle White-Lined Sphinx Moth
Scientific Name Smaragdesthes oertzeni Hyles lineata
Order Coleoptera Lepidoptera
Family Scarabaeidae Sphingidae
Size 12-22 mm 65-90 mm wingspan
Habitat Forests Deserts & Drylands
Diet Nectar Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions Central Africa (DRC, Congo, Cameroon) Throughout North America from Canada to Central America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Green Protea Beetle

A small but brilliantly metallic green beetle found in Central African forests. It is a frequent visitor to flowering trees and shrubs. The elytra have a smooth, highly reflective surface.

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Did You Know?

The intense green color of this beetle remains vivid even in preserved specimens, unlike many other insects whose colors fade.

White-Lined Sphinx Moth

A common sphinx moth with bold white stripes on its forewings and a pink-banded hindwing. It hovers at flowers like a hummingbird and is active at dusk.

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Did You Know?

During outbreak years, its caterpillars can be so numerous they cross roads in large numbers and are called armyworms.