Lime Hawk-moth vs Small Magpie Moth

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Lime Hawk-moth Small Magpie Moth
Scientific Name Mimas tiliae Anania hortulata
Order Lepidoptera Lepidoptera
Family Sphingidae Crambidae
Size 55-70 mm wingspan 26-30 mm wingspan
Habitat Underground Underground
Diet Herbivores Herbivores
Regions Europe, western Asia Europe, Western Asia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Lime Hawk-moth

A beautifully scalloped hawk-moth with variable pink-green to brown colouration and dark central wing bands. Adults do not feed at all, living only on energy stored as caterpillars.

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Did You Know?

Its wing colour varies enormously, from bright salmon pink to deep olive green, even within the same brood.

Small Magpie Moth

A pretty white moth with black spots and a yellow head. Despite its name, it is a crambid rather than a geometrid like the true Magpie Moth.

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Did You Know?

The caterpillar lives inside a rolled leaf shelter that it spins shut with silk.