Madeiran Large White vs Hummingbird Clearwing Moth

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Madeiran Large White Hummingbird Clearwing Moth
Scientific Name Pieris brassicae wollastoni Hemaris thysbe
Order Lepidoptera Lepidoptera
Family Pieridae Sphingidae
Size 5-6 cm wingspan 38-50 mm wingspan
Habitat Forests Woodlands
Diet Herbivores Nectar Feeders
Regions Portugal Eastern North America from Canada to the Gulf states
Conservation Critically Endangered Least Concern

Madeiran Large White

A subspecies of the large white butterfly that was endemic to Madeira. It has not been reliably recorded since the 1970s and may be extinct.

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Did You Know?

Pesticide use and introduced parasitoid wasps are believed to have driven it to the brink of extinction.

Hummingbird Clearwing Moth

A day-flying sphinx moth with transparent wings bordered in reddish-brown that closely resembles a hummingbird. It hovers at flowers while feeding with its long proboscis.

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Did You Know?

Its wings are initially covered in scales when it emerges from its cocoon, but the scales fall off during its first flight, leaving them transparent.