Vine Hawk Moth vs Small Australian Tunneler

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Vine Hawk Moth Small Australian Tunneler
Scientific Name Hippotion velox Onthophagus parvus
Order Lepidoptera Coleoptera
Family Sphingidae Scarabaeidae
Size 55-70 mm 4-6 mm
Habitat Woodlands Woodlands
Diet Nectar Feeders Dung Feeders
Regions Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia Australia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Vine Hawk Moth

A sleek olive-brown hawk moth with a distinctive pale dorsal stripe. It is widespread across Africa and Asia, and is one of the most commonly encountered sphingids in Australia.

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Did You Know?

Hippotion velox is one of the most common hawk moths encountered in Australian suburban gardens, where it is attracted to outdoor lights.

Small Australian Tunneler

A tiny, brown tunneling dung beetle native to Australia. It is one of the few native Australian species adapted to process the dry, pellet-like dung of marsupials. Found in eucalyptus woodland across the continent.

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Did You Know?

Native Australian dung beetles evolved with marsupial pellet dung and were ill-equipped to handle the wet dung of introduced cattle.