Russian Wheat Aphid vs Pine Emperor Moth

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Russian Wheat Aphid Pine Emperor Moth
Scientific Name Diuraphis noxia Imbrasia cytherea
Order Hemiptera Lepidoptera
Family Aphididae Saturniidae
Size 1.5-2 mm 100-140 mm
Habitat Farmland Farmland
Diet Sap Feeders Omnivores
Regions Worldwide cereal-growing regions Southern Africa, East Africa
Conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern

Russian Wheat Aphid

A pale elongated aphid that causes leaf rolling and white streaking on wheat and barley. It injects toxins while feeding that are uniquely damaging to cereal crops.

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Did You Know?

It caused over $1 billion in damage to U.S. wheat crops within just a few years of its arrival in 1986.

Pine Emperor Moth

A large South African emperor moth with brown and cream banded wings. Its caterpillars can become significant defoliators of pine plantations in southern Africa.

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Did You Know?

Pine emperor moth caterpillars occasionally undergo population explosions that can completely defoliate large areas of commercial pine plantation.