Lunar Hornet Moth vs Mariana Eight-spot Butterfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Lunar Hornet Moth Mariana Eight-spot Butterfly
Scientific Name Sesia bembeciformis Hypolimnas octocula marianensis
Order Lepidoptera Lepidoptera
Family Sesiidae Nymphalidae
Size 30–42 mm wingspan 5-7 cm wingspan
Habitat Rivers & Streams Forests
Diet Omnivores Herbivores
Regions Europe, Western Asia United States
Conservation Not Evaluated Endangered

Lunar Hornet Moth

A large clearwing moth that mimics a hornet and bores into willow and sallow trunks. Adults emerge in midsummer and are active in sunshine.

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Did You Know?

The empty pupal skin can be found protruding from the exit hole on willow trunks long after the moth has emerged.

Mariana Eight-spot Butterfly

A butterfly subspecies endemic to the Mariana Islands in the western Pacific. It has suffered from habitat destruction and invasive species.

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Did You Know?

The brown tree snake, an invasive predator, has devastated many native species on Guam including this butterfly.