Navel Orangeworm vs Wahlberg's Flower Mantis

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Navel Orangeworm Wahlberg's Flower Mantis
Scientific Name Amyelois transitella Pseudocreobotra amarae
Order Lepidoptera Mantodea
Family Pyralidae Hymenopodidae
Size 20-28 mm wingspan 25-35 mm
Habitat Deserts & Drylands Heathland
Diet Omnivores Omnivores
Regions North America Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania
Conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern

Navel Orangeworm

The most damaging pest of almonds, walnuts, and pistachios in California. Larvae bore into nuts and contaminate them with frass and fungal spores.

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Did You Know?

It promotes aflatoxin contamination by introducing Aspergillus fungi into damaged nuts.

Wahlberg's Flower Mantis

A small East African flower mantis with spiny projections on its abdomen and thorax. Its coloring ranges from white to green depending on the habitat.

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Did You Know?

The thoracic spines make it one of the most heavily ornamented flower mantises in Africa.