Privet Hawk-moth vs Wide Dead Leaf Mantis

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Privet Hawk-moth Wide Dead Leaf Mantis
Scientific Name Sphinx ligustri Acanthops platycephala
Order Lepidoptera Mantodea
Family Sphingidae Acanthopidae
Size 90-120 mm wingspan 35-50 mm
Habitat Woodlands Forests
Diet Omnivores Omnivores
Regions Europe, western Asia Brazil, Peru, Bolivia
Conservation Least Concern Data Deficient

Privet Hawk-moth

Britain's largest resident moth, with a massive body bearing pink and black abdominal stripes. Its horn-tipped caterpillar is bright green with purple and white diagonal stripes.

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Did You Know?

The caterpillar performs a sphinx-like pose when disturbed, which gave the Sphingidae family its name.

Wide Dead Leaf Mantis

A broad-headed dead leaf mantis from the Amazon basin with a distinctively flattened head. Its wide head profile adds to its overall leaf-shaped silhouette.

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Did You Know?

Its unusually flat, wide head is the broadest proportionally of any species in the genus.