Tawny Emperor vs Pedician Crane Fly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Tawny Emperor Pedician Crane Fly
Scientific Name Asterocampa clyton Pedicia rivosa
Order Lepidoptera Diptera
Family Nymphalidae Pediciidae
Size 40-65 mm wingspan 18-25 mm body length
Habitat Rivers & Streams Rivers & Streams
Diet Dung Feeders Herbivores
Regions Eastern and Central North America Europe, Northern Asia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Tawny Emperor

A warm tawny-brown butterfly with dark bars and a row of small eyespots on the hindwing. Unlike most butterflies, it rarely visits flowers, preferring tree sap and rotting fruit.

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Did You Know?

It is strongly attracted to human perspiration and will readily land on sweaty hikers.

Pedician Crane Fly

A large, mottled-winged crane fly whose predatory larvae hunt invertebrates in wet mud and stream margins. Adults are often found resting on vegetation near flowing water.

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Did You Know?

Unlike most crane fly larvae that eat decaying matter, its larvae are voracious predators that ambush worms and insect larvae in mud.