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Cecropia Moth

Posted by bugman May 23rd, 2009 at 8:08 am

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Giant Silk Moths

Unknown Moth In Michigan
Fri, May 22, 2009 at 8:38 PM
This moth “as you can see” is about the size of a 18 year old male’s hands.
He or she had red, what looked like furr on his back with a white pach “streak” going crossways on its back.
The Abdomen was also striped red black and white.
Season mid spring and time of night around 1130. The legs also being reddish color, would not know if this would help any.
Much obliged if this spicies of moth was known to anyone.
John Hayes
Michigan USA

Cecropia Moth

Cecropia Moth

Dear John,
The Cecropia Moth, according to much of the information we have read, is considered the largest Saturniid Moth in the United States, though the Polyphemus Moth, a relative, might be equally as large. A primarily tropical species, the Black Witch, might be a solid contender for the species with the greatest wingspan, but the Cecropia Moth represented in your photo probably has the greatest wing surface area.

Clarification: The Black Witch is in the family Erebidae.

Related Posts

  1. Black Witch (June 23, 2005)
  2. Cecropia Moth (July 1, 2005)
  3. Cecropia Moth Caterpillar (July 22, 2005)
  4. Cecropia Moth (May 29, 2009)
  5. Cecropia Moth Caterpillar (July 29, 2009)

Comments 3

  1. zarathos wrote:

    Actually, the black witch (and its counterpart, the white witch) are actually the largest members of the Noctuidae; the black witch is in fact a desert species, very common in southeastern AZ

    Posted 24 May 2009 at 3:47 am
  2. zarathos wrote:

    the black witch is not a Saturniid, but is in fact the largest member of the Noctuidae. And it actually is much more commoln in the the arid parts of its range, which extends up into southeastern AZ

    Posted 24 May 2009 at 3:49 am
  3. bugman wrote:

    Dear Zarathos,
    Thanks for your input. We are sorry we did not clarify that the Black Witch is not a Saturniid Moth, but rather a member of a different family. The Black Witch is in the family Erebidae, in the superfamily Noctuoidea, but it is not in the Owlet family Noctuidae which is also in the superfamily Noctuoidea. The Black Witch has been taxonomically reclassified. We will clarify this misunderstanding in our posting.

    Posted 24 May 2009 at 8:04 am

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