Lord Howe Island Beetle vs Orizaba Silk Moth

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Lord Howe Island Beetle Orizaba Silk Moth
Scientific Name Anoplognathus macleayi Rothschildia orizaba
Order Coleoptera Lepidoptera
Family Scarabaeidae Saturniidae
Size 2-3 cm 110-145 mm
Habitat Forests Forests
Diet Herbivores Omnivores
Regions Australia Mexico, Central America, southwestern United States
Conservation Critically Endangered Least Concern

Lord Howe Island Beetle

A scarab beetle endemic to Lord Howe Island with metallic green coloring. It has suffered severe decline due to introduced rats.

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Did You Know?

This beetle was once so abundant it was considered a pest but is now extremely rare after rat introduction in 1918.

Orizaba Silk Moth

A magnificent New World silk moth with large reddish-brown wings bearing conspicuous triangular clear windows. It was historically reared for its silk in parts of Mexico.

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Did You Know?

Indigenous peoples of Mexico once used the silk from Rothschildia orizaba cocoons to weave a coarse fabric, making it one of the few New World silk moths commercially utilized.