Walnut Sphinx Moth vs Woodland Dor Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Walnut Sphinx Moth Woodland Dor Beetle
Scientific Name Amorpha juglandis Anoplotrupes stercorosus
Order Lepidoptera Coleoptera
Family Sphingidae Geotrupidae
Size 50-75 mm 12-19 mm
Habitat Woodlands Woodlands
Diet Detritivores Dung Feeders
Regions Eastern North America Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Walnut Sphinx Moth

A beautifully cryptic hawk moth with scalloped wing edges and mottled brown, gray, and lavender patterns. It rests among leaf litter where it is nearly impossible to detect.

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Did You Know?

The walnut sphinx caterpillar can produce a high-pitched whistle by forcing air through its spiracles, startling birds and other predators.

Woodland Dor Beetle

A medium-sized, convex dung beetle with a steel-blue or black dorsal surface and metallic blue-violet underside. Common in European woodlands where it buries deer and fox dung. Often heard buzzing loudly in flight.

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Did You Know?

This beetle is often parasitized by phoretic mites that hitch rides to new dung sources.