Unknown Costa Rican Moth is Acraga coa

bugman

May 17th, 2009 at 8:48 am

Tags

orange moth in costa rica
Fri, May 15, 2009 at 5:07 PM
I found this moth in costa rica on the eastern coast near panama, what kind is it?
jes
gandoca, costa rica

Acraga coa

Dear Jes,
We are relatively certain we posted this species or a very similar species in the past, but alas, we have not been able to locate an image in our vast archives. We suspect this may be an individual in the family Lasiocampidae that includes the Tent Caterpillar MOths and Lappet Moths. Hopefully, one of our readers will write in with a correct identification.

Acraga coa

Update: Sun, May 17, 2009 at 9:04 AM
Hi Bugman:
It’s a beautiful shot, but a little hard to identify because of the head-on view. I believe it is in the family Dalceridae (Dalcerid moths), a relatively small family of neotropical moths. Orange coloration and very fuzzy legs are typical for the group. The Dalcerids are related to the Megalopygidae and Limacodidae, and the three families are sometimes collectively known as “slug caterpillars”. Whereas many of the Megalopygidae and Limacodidae possess stinging hairs, Dalcerid larvae are covered in gelatinous tubercles which probably deter attacks from predators. I think Jes’s moth may be in the genus Acraga , possibly A. coa . Regards.
Karl

Hi Daniel:
I just found the previous post of this moth on WTB (I should have checked first). Excellent photos and an identification by Dr. Scott Miller at the Smithsonian Institution.
Karl

Thanks Karl,
It is a little sad that we could not quickly locate this identification in our own archives.