Snowberry Clearwing vs Japanese Silk Moth

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute	Snowberry Clearwing	Japanese Silk Moth
Scientific Name	Hemaris diffinis	Antheraea yamamai
Order	Lepidoptera	Lepidoptera
Family	Sphingidae	Saturniidae
Size	32-50 mm wingspan	Wingspan 110-150 mm
Habitat	Underground	Indoors
Diet	Nectar Feeders	Herbivores
Regions	North America	Japan, Korea, China
Conservation	Least Concern	Not Evaluated

Snowberry Clearwing

A bumblebee mimic with largely transparent wings bordered in dark brown, a fuzzy olive thorax, and black and yellow banding on the abdomen. It feeds while hovering at flowers.

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Did You Know?

This moth is born with scales on its wings but they fall off during the first flight, leaving the characteristic clear windows.

Japanese Silk Moth

A large wild silk moth native to Japan with striking yellow-brown wings bearing prominent eyespots. Its silk was historically used to produce high-quality tensan fabric.

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Did You Know?

Its silk, called tensan, is naturally green-tinged and was reserved for Japanese imperial garments.