Ocean Strider vs Giant Silk Moth
Side-by-side species comparison
| Attribute | Ocean Strider | Giant Silk Moth |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Halobates micans | Hyalophora euryalus |
| Order | Hemiptera | Lepidoptera |
| Family | Gerridae | Saturniidae |
| Size | 4-5 mm | 90-130 mm |
| Habitat | Beaches & Coastal | Farmland |
| Diet | Omnivores | Omnivores |
| Regions | Tropical Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans | Western North America, from British Columbia to Baja California |
| Conservation | Least Concern | Least Concern |
Ocean Strider
A remarkable open-ocean water strider that spends its entire life on the surface of tropical seas. It is one of the very few insects adapted to a fully marine existence. It lays eggs on floating debris including feathers and seaweed.
Did You Know?
It is one of the only insects to have colonized the open ocean and can be found thousands of kilometers from the nearest land, surviving storms and wave action.
Giant Silk Moth
A large western North American silk moth with reddish-brown wings featuring bold white crescent markings and a red-and-white banded body. It is the Pacific coast counterpart of the cecropia moth.
Did You Know?
Hyalophora euryalus can hybridize with the cecropia moth where their ranges overlap, producing fertile offspring in a zone of intergradation.