Puss Moth vs Salt Creek Tiger Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Puss Moth Salt Creek Tiger Beetle
Scientific Name Cerura vinula Cicindela nevadica lincolniana
Order Lepidoptera Coleoptera
Family Notodontidae Carabidae
Size 58-80 mm wingspan 10-12 mm
Habitat Rivers & Streams Rivers & Streams
Diet Herbivores Predators
Regions Europe, Asia Lancaster County, Nebraska, United States
Conservation Least Concern Endangered

Puss Moth

A furry white moth whose caterpillar has whip-like tail filaments and sprays formic acid.

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Did You Know?

The caterpillar can shoot a jet of formic acid from a gland behind its head.

Salt Creek Tiger Beetle

One of the rarest insects in the world, this small tiger beetle has dark olive-brown elytra with faint white markings. It is found only on saline mud flats along Salt Creek in Lancaster County, Nebraska.

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Did You Know?

With fewer than 500 adults estimated in the wild, it is considered one of the rarest insects on Earth, threatened by urban development around Lincoln, Nebraska.