Shield Bug vs Abbott's Sphinx Moth

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Shield Bug Abbott's Sphinx Moth
Scientific Name Palomena prasina Sphecodina abbottii
Order Hemiptera Lepidoptera
Family Pentatomidae Sphingidae
Size 12-14 mm 50-70 mm
Habitat Underground Underground
Diet Sap Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions Europe, Asia Eastern North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Shield Bug

Also called stink bugs for the foul-smelling liquid they release when disturbed. Changes color from bright green in summer to bronze-brown before overwintering.

💡

Did You Know?

Shield bugs can change color with the seasons — they produce green pigment in summer for leaf camouflage and switch to brown in autumn as leaves change.

Abbott's Sphinx Moth

A unique hawk moth with scalloped brown wings and a yellow and brown banded body resembling a large hornet. Its flight is rapid and bee-like, flying mainly at dusk.

💡

Did You Know?

Abbott's sphinx is named after John Abbott, an 18th-century English naturalist who produced over 3,000 paintings of Georgian insects.