Tooth-Necked Fungus Beetle vs African Wild Silk Moth

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Tooth-Necked Fungus Beetle African Wild Silk Moth
Scientific Name Bolitotherus cornutus Gonometa postica
Order Coleoptera Lepidoptera
Family Tenebrionidae Lasiocampidae
Size 10-12 mm 50-70 mm wingspan
Habitat Woodlands Woodlands
Diet Fungus Feeders Herbivores
Regions Eastern North America East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia)
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Tooth-Necked Fungus Beetle

A heavily armored, warty brown beetle that feeds on shelf fungi on dead trees. Males have two prominent horns on the thorax.

💡

Did You Know?

It plays dead so convincingly that it is nearly impossible to distinguish from a piece of bark.

African Wild Silk Moth

A medium-sized brown moth whose caterpillars spin tough, golden silk cocoons on Acacia branches. It has been investigated as a source of commercial wild silk in East Africa.

💡

Did You Know?

Its silk is being developed as a sustainable textile, and wild harvesting of cocoons provides income for rural communities in East Africa.