Sweetheart Underwing vs Broad-Bordered Bee Hawk-Moth

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Sweetheart Underwing Broad-Bordered Bee Hawk-Moth
Scientific Name Catocala amatrix Hemaris fuciformis
Order Lepidoptera Lepidoptera
Family Erebidae Sphingidae
Size 75-95 mm wingspan 38-48 mm wingspan
Habitat Woodlands Underground
Diet Sap Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions Eastern North America from southern Canada to the southern United States Europe, Asia, North Africa
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Sweetheart Underwing

A large underwing moth with mottled gray-brown forewings and rosy-pink hindwings crossed by black bands. It is one of the most attractive members of the underwing genus.

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Did You Know?

Its scientific name amatrix means 'sweetheart' in Latin, referring to the rosy-pink color of its hidden hindwings.

Broad-Bordered Bee Hawk-Moth

A day-flying sphinx moth with transparent wings that mimic a bumblebee. The scales on its wings fall off on its first flight, leaving clear panels that enhance the bee illusion.

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Did You Know?

This moth deliberately sheds its wing scales on its maiden flight to become transparent — one of the only moths that intentionally destroys its own wing coloring.