Southwestern Corn Borer vs Giant Grey Hawk Moth

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Southwestern Corn Borer Giant Grey Hawk Moth
Scientific Name Diatraea grandiosella Agrius cingulata
Order Lepidoptera Lepidoptera
Family Crambidae Sphingidae
Size 25-35 mm wingspan 95-130 mm
Habitat Farmland Beaches & Coastal
Diet Herbivores Nectar Feeders
Regions Southern United States, Mexico Americas (from southern United States to Argentina), occasional migrant to Europe and Africa
Conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern

Southwestern Corn Borer

A pale moth whose larvae bore into corn stalks and girdle stems from the inside, causing extensive lodging. It is a major corn pest in the southern Great Plains of the United States.

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Did You Know?

Overwintering larvae girdle the corn stalk from the inside, deliberately weakening it so the stalk falls and provides insulated shelter.

Giant Grey Hawk Moth

A massive hawk moth with gray-streaked forewings and a pink and black banded abdomen. It is one of the largest and fastest-flying sphinx moths in the Americas.

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Did You Know?

Agrius cingulata is such a powerful flier that individuals from the Americas occasionally cross the Atlantic Ocean and turn up in western Europe.