Question Mark Butterfly vs Gaboon Viper Caterpillar Moth

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Question Mark Butterfly Gaboon Viper Caterpillar Moth
Scientific Name Polygonia interrogationis Lobobunaea phaedusa
Order Lepidoptera Lepidoptera
Family Nymphalidae Saturniidae
Size 45-76 mm wingspan 90-120 mm wingspan
Habitat Woodlands Forests
Diet Sap Feeders Wood Feeders
Regions North America Central Africa (Cameroon, Gabon, DRC, Congo)
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Question Mark Butterfly

Orange butterfly with dark spots and irregular wing margins. A silvery question-mark shape on the underside of the hindwing gives it its name.

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Did You Know?

It rarely visits flowers, preferring to feed on fermenting fruit, sap, and animal dung.

Gaboon Viper Caterpillar Moth

A large saturniid moth with rich brown and reddish-purple wings bearing prominent eye-spots. The caterpillars are spectacularly spined and brightly colored. Adults do not feed and rely entirely on energy stored during the larval stage.

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Did You Know?

The caterpillars have stinging spines that can cause severe skin irritation, protecting them from most predators.