Teak Defoliator Moth vs Clouded Apollo

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Teak Defoliator Moth Clouded Apollo
Scientific Name Hyblaea puera Parnassius mnemosyne
Order Lepidoptera Lepidoptera
Family Hyblaeidae Papilionidae
Size 30-40 mm wingspan 52-62 mm wingspan
Habitat Farmland Woodlands
Diet Nectar Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions South Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal) Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Scandinavia
Conservation Least Concern Near Threatened

Teak Defoliator Moth

A medium-sized moth with orange-brown forewings and bright orange hindwings bordered in black. Its caterpillars are the most devastating defoliators of teak plantations across South Asia, stripping trees bare.

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Did You Know?

During outbreak years, entire teak forests turn brown as millions of caterpillars strip every leaf, though the trees typically refoliate.

Clouded Apollo

A delicate, semi-translucent white butterfly with dark wing veins and small dark spots. It flies slowly through woodland clearings in late spring.

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Did You Know?

Its translucent wings lack the typical scales found on most butterflies, giving them a ghostly appearance.