Pipe-organ Mud Wasp vs Swallow-tailed Moth

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Pipe-organ Mud Wasp Swallow-tailed Moth
Scientific Name Trypoxylon figulus Ourapteryx sambucaria
Order Hymenoptera Lepidoptera
Family Crabronidae Geometridae
Size 8-12 mm 50-62 mm wingspan
Habitat Underground Underground
Diet Predators Omnivores
Regions Europe Europe, temperate Asia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Pipe-organ Mud Wasp

A slender black solitary wasp that builds mud-tube nests in hollow stems and holes, provisioning them with paralyzed spiders. Named for the organ-pipe arrangement of its mud cells.

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Did You Know?

Builds multiple tube-shaped mud cells arranged like the pipes of a church organ.

Swallow-tailed Moth

A large, pale lemon-yellow moth with pointed tail-like projections on its hindwings. Its graceful shape and colour make it one of the most elegant geometrid moths.

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Did You Know?

Despite its butterfly-like tail extensions, it is a true moth and is strongly attracted to light.