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Male Io Moth

Posted by June 20th, 2007 at 12:00 am

Categories

Giant Silk Moths

Any idea what this pretty one is? I found few other pics of it on the internet & none of the images I found ever said what he was. He’s the 2nd really interesting moth I’ve had this week; never saw either one before. The other I was able to identify as the Rosy Maple Moth. But I can’t find this little guy anywhere. Know what he is or where I can turn to?
Beth

Hi Beth,
Your male Io Moth is a perfect example of startle mimicry. When the wings are closed, it looks benign and tasty, but when a bird pecks, suddenly the eyed underwings are revealed, startling the bird into fleeing what must resemble a large angry predator. This species also exhibits marked sexual dimorphism. The male has yellow upper wings, while the females wings are brown.

Related Posts

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  2. Male Io Moth (June 20, 2008)
  3. Male Square Headed Wasp: Crabro latipes (July 16, 2007)
  4. Valley Carpenter Bee Male (December 8, 2006)
  5. Female Io Moth (September 6, 2009)

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