Large Emerald vs Pellucid Hawk Moth

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Large Emerald Pellucid Hawk Moth
Scientific Name Geometra papilionaria Cephonodes hylas
Order Lepidoptera Lepidoptera
Family Geometridae Sphingidae
Size Wingspan 50-65mm 45-65 mm
Habitat Heathland Farmland
Diet Herbivores Nectar Feeders
Regions Europe, Asia South Asia, Southeast Asia, East Africa, Australia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Large Emerald

A beautiful bright green moth with delicate white wavy lines across both wings. Its green color fades to whitish after death.

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Did You Know?

Its green pigment is bile-derived and extremely fugitive fading from emerald to pale white in museum specimens within years.

Pellucid Hawk Moth

A strikingly beautiful day-flying hawk moth with entirely transparent wings and a bright green and yellow body. It hovers at flowers in tropical and subtropical regions of the Old World.

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Did You Know?

Unlike most clearwing moths that lose scales gradually, Cephonodes hylas sheds nearly all its wing scales within seconds of emerging from the pupal case.