Tiridates Charaxes vs Five-Spotted Hawk Moth

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Tiridates Charaxes Five-Spotted Hawk Moth
Scientific Name Charaxes tiridates Manduca quinquemaculata
Order Lepidoptera Lepidoptera
Family Nymphalidae Sphingidae
Size 80-100 mm wingspan 95-130 mm wingspan
Habitat Forests Farmland
Diet Sap Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions West and Central Africa (Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, DRC) Throughout North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Tiridates Charaxes

A spectacular large forest butterfly with vivid blue and black upperside and ornate brown and white underside markings. It is a powerful glider that soars through the forest canopy. Two prominent tails extend from the hindwings.

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Did You Know?

This species has been recorded flying at heights exceeding 30 meters in the forest canopy, rarely descending to ground level.

Five-Spotted Hawk Moth

A large mottled gray moth whose caterpillar is the familiar tomato hornworm with a distinctive black horn. The adult has five pairs of yellow-orange spots on its abdomen.

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Did You Know?

Its caterpillar is frequently confused with the tobacco hornworm but can be distinguished by its V-shaped white markings instead of diagonal stripes.