Large orange moth
June 28, 2010
We have a wide variety of moths each day in the foyer of our apartment complex, but this morning I saw something completely different next to my neighbor’s door. It is the largest moth I have ever seen, next to a Luna Moth. I originally thought it may be a Cecropia Moth because of the orange body, but the markings on the wings look different than any photos I have found online.
Shelly B.
East Tennessee
Royal Walnut Moth
Good Morning Shelly,
Your lovely moth is a Royal Walnut Moth, Citheronia regalis, is the adult form of the largest caterpillar in North America, the formidable looking Hickory Horned Devil.
Strange large moth type insect
June 27, 2010
Discovered this moth in our backyard in Colorado Springs, Colorado on June 26, 2010. I thought it was a leaf. Very effective camouflage. It was perhaps 2″ long. Can you identify it?
R. Lee Mundorff
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Achemon Sphinx
Dear R. Lee,
Your moth is an Achemon Sphinx and you may read more about this species on Bill Oehlke’s excellent website where he indicates: “Those who first published descriptions and assigned scientific names to many insects, simply chose names of biblical or mythological origin without any real descriptive qualities. Their purpose was simply to set a standard for purposes of identification by assigned name. On some occasions, names, mostly of Latin or Greek origin, were chosen to signify a particular character of the genus or of an individual species. The genus name ‘Eumorpha’ means well-formed.In Greek mythology, Achemon and his brother Basalas were two Cercopes who were constantly arguing. One day they insulted Hercules, who tied them by their feet to his club and marched off with them like a brace of hares.“
Which Walkingstick?
June 27, 2010
The first two photos were taken last August. When we saw the first walking stick on the wall of our patio, we assumed it was a male. Then a week later I saw two of them mating (second photo, Bug Love) and realized the one on the patio had been the female.
I was weed eating in the garden yesterday and noticed movement ahead of me and then saw a walking stick climbing out of the way. I stopped what I was doing and bent to pick it up and move it so it wouldn’t get hurt, but noticed it was already missing some legs (see third photo). I’m pretty sure I *didn’t* do that with the weed eater (at least I hope I didn’t), but wonder how it could have happened and what are her chances now? Also, what kind of walking stick is it? I kept reading about striped, spitting walking sticks, but these don’t have stripes.
Jayne Wilson
Houston area, Texas
Mating Northern Two-Striped Walkingsticks
Hi Jayne,
You Walkingsticks are in the genus Anisomorpha, most likely the Northern Two-Striped Walkingstick based on photos posted to BugGuide. You should handle with care. BugGuide provided the following critical information: “Members of this genus can deliver a chemical spray to the eyes that can cause corneal damage.“ You can get additional information on the Texas Walkingstick website.
Handle with Care: Walkingstick
Caterpillar with “eyes.”
June 27, 2010
From what I’ve found on your site, I think this caterpillar may be related to the Tersa Sphinx Moth. However, the one that I found didn’t have a horn. Is it a different species in the same family? It was found crawling on a wall in Shreveport, Louisiana on May 28th, 2010.
Michael M.
Shreveport, LA
Tiger Swallowtail Caterpillar
Hi Michael,
There are many caterpillars that have protective coloration that includes eyespots. This is not a Sphinx Caterpillar, but rather a Swallowtail Butterfly Caterpillar, most likely the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail which is pictured on BugGuide.
3
cool shaped moth
June 26, 2010
Hi. I found this guy near a light and thought the shape of his wings was really cool. Thanks to Kaufman’s guide (which I got on your recommendation) I think it might be Archips purpurana, an omnivorous leafroller. What do you think?
Sara
New Jersey
Omnivorous Leafroller
Hi Sara,
We are happy that our recommendation of the Kaufman’s Guide has been helpful for you. It seems you nailed the ID on the Omnivorous Leafroller, Archips purpurana, but according to BugGuide, it is: “known as Omnivorous Leafroller but that name is more commonly applied to another species, Platynota stultana, and is therefore confusing.“
Hitch-hiking tarantula
June 27, 2010
Thought you all might enjoy this photo and the story that goes with it. We spend a lot of time in Baja California Sur and a few years ago in early December, we made one of our usual 30 minute trips into town from the beach where we lived to visit a friend. At the time, we drove a big truck with high clearance, which we usually kept closed as much as possible, to keep out the elements and unwanted fauna.
You can probably imagine our surprise then, when after visiting our friend, we found this male desert tarantula (I say male, since they are the wanderers) all cozy on the passenger seat. I couldn’t believe I had just about hoisted my butt up on top of him. As we debated how to safely and gently remove him (though we like all kinds of critters, in the heat of the moment, we were wishing Jeff Corwin were around to lay hands on him), one of the gardeners just reached in, picked him up and then put him in my partner’s hand at her request. While she held him, I took photos and then they went for a little walk out into the nearby desert scrub where she released him.
We still can’t figure out how he got into the truck cab and it was kind of creepy to think about where he had been on our way to town and how long he might have been in the car. One theory about his presence was that our cat, who liked to jump into the cab or camper shell whenever we left the car open, may have brought him in as one of his pets to play (lizards on the doorstep, live mice in the shower stall, fiddler crabs in the shoes…), but then quickly lost interest in him, as he usually did.
Unfortunately, the Case of the Hitch-hiking Tarantula will always remain a mystery…but it sure has made us look twice before getting into the car!
D. Valov
Mulegé, Baja California Sur, Mexico
Tarantula
Hi D,
Thanks for the great Tarantula anecdote. You Tarantula looks like an undescribed Aphonopelma species photographed by Rick West and posted to the Tarántulas de México website.
3
I like This
