Subject: Oculea silkmoth?
Location: Carbondale, Colorado
May 21, 2012 5:53 pm
My son and his friends found this beautiful moth outside of his school in Carbondale, Colorado today. We’ve never seen anything like it! Beautiful! What can you tell us about it?
Signature: Carbondale Mom
Polyphemus Moth
Dear Carbondale Mom,
Though the Oculea Silkmoth looks very similar, this is actually a closely related Polyphemus Moth. The Polyphemus Moth is a common species found in all 48 lower states and Canada. The much rarer Oculea Silkmoth has a range limited to parts of Arizona and New Mexico in mountainous regions.
Subject: Some beautiful close up photos of what I believe is a Prometheus moth
Location: Watkins Glen NY
May 20, 2012 3:17 pm
Hey there! I visit your site requently; as someone living in the ’country’ who was not raised here (raised in a relatively bugless suburban area), I have questions all the time about bugs I come across, and you are an awesome resource. Last night was our first night warm enough to be out on the deck late into the night, and I had visitor. A huge moth I’d never seen before. Took some photos and he was hanging out so relaxed I gently, without touching his wings, scooped him up- and he hung out on my hand for awhile, resulting in some cool pics. I was coming here to share them with you, and there on the front page was what I believe to be ’my’ moth lol, although mine is much more of a beautiful red. I hope you might be able to use these photos to show the beauty of this guy. And of course, if it is not a Prometheus moth, do let me know 
Signature: MeganNY
Promethea Moth
Hi MeganNY,
We agree that this is a Promethea Moth, however, she is a female. Males are much darker and have more feathery antennae. The Promethea Moth can be distinguished from the similar Tulip Tree Silkmoth, according to BugGuide, by spots on the forewings: “Males are brown centrally, females yellowish brown. On females the angular white spots are largest on the forewings.” On your moth, the spots on the hind wings are larger.
Thanks for getting back to me Daniel. Thank you for your confirmation and correction on her sex (I was just using ‘He’ as a generic descriptor, I had no idea either way). She actually hung out on our deck again yesterday for a few hours, fanning her wings… I’ll have to do a little more research on what she could be going. I’ve never seen such large and beautiful moths as these… gotta love living in the country! I also saw a big green moth later that night, but she only stayed a second and I wasn’t able to get a photo. I see on your site the Luna moth, I’m pretty sure that’s what she was.
Thanks again!
Subject: Moth from Missouri
Location: Plato, MO
May 20, 2012 7:26 pm
Found this moth outside my house in Plato, MO. Anything you can tell me about it? Thanks
Signature: Bobby & Brenda
Small Eyed Sphinx
Dear Bobby & Brenda,
The Small Eyed Sphinx got its common name because of the eyespots on the underwings. While resting, if the Small Eyed Sphinx is disturbed, it reveals the eyespots which startles the potential predator. Read more about the Small Eyed Sphinx on the Sphingidae of the Americas Website.
Subject: Please identify this moth for me.
Location: Lunda Nordeste, Angola
May 20, 2012 3:30 am
I noticed this little guy sitting on the fence the other day. It is in Northeast Angola, Africa. Please id him for me.
Signature: Lucas
Verdant Hawkmoth
Hi Lucas,
About a year and a half ago, we received a similar request from an oil field off the coast of Angola and Karl assisted us in identifying it as the aptly named Verdant Hawkmoth, Euchloron megaera. Your individual is even more vibrantly green than the previously submitted individual. You may also compare to the image posted to the Encyclopedia of Life.
Huge white witch moth!
Location: Colombia, south america
May 15, 2012 4:57 pm
Hello guys I found in my house a huge white witch moth! I would love to share the pictures with you. Hope you like it! when it flew away it was like a huge bird!
Signature: David Fernando Realpe Jaramillo
White Witch Moth
Hi David,
Thanks for sending us your photos. According to the University of Florida Book of Insect Records, the White Witch: “Thysania agrippina (Noctuidae: Catocalinae), the white witch moth, has the largest reported wing span of any lepidopteran. This neotropical species is reported to attain wing expanses of up to 280mm. While all books on Lepidoptera and entomology consulted award this status to T. agrippina, no supporting documentation from the primary literature was located. In wing area, some species of Saturniid moths from southern Asia surpass T. agrippina.”
Promethea ranching
Location: South Illinois
May 16, 2012 9:02 pm
Sent you a picture of a female promethea earlier this spring. She found a date, and now I’ve got about 40 caterpillars. Here is a picture of date night, and 3 instars of promethea caterpillar and one aphid.
Signature: -Bert
Mating Promethea Moths
Hi again Bert,
We had your photo of this Promethea Moth and a Cecropia Moth together on the screen featured on our homepage for several weeks. We are going to feature this submission as well in anticipation of drumming up interest in National Moth Week events from around the country. You didn’t provide us with much additional information. Your subject line indicates that you are raising the caterpillars. Do you have them in a habitat? Are they feeding directly from trees in your yard? What trees are they feeding upon? Young caterpillars feed in groups. It is interesting that your photo shows three different caterpillar instars. Are they from different parents? We would expect that all eggs from one mating would develop at the same time. Here is a photo from BugGuide that shows the socially feeding caterpillars. Please provide additional information.
Promethea Moth Caterpillars
Update
May 17, 2012
All these caterpillars are from the same pairing. Don’t know if the slower-growing ones are sickly, or if this is a survival strategy, or if it is a result of how they are being fed. I keep them indoors in a terrarium with three baby-bottles full of tulip tree twigs harvested from around the neighborhood so I don’t make too big a hole in any one tree. One lesson learned so far is that the very young caterpillars like to go walkabout and if there is too much room in the tank and they will find a way to drown in all but the best-sealed water bottles, or get too far from a leaf and starve/dehydrate before they get back. Which is why I have about 40, instead of about 80. Attached are a few more bug pictures: group feeding, the cecropia from last month, and a small one for scale.
Promethea Caterpillars: Social Feeding
Thanks for the update Bert.
First Instar Promethea Caterpillar
Moth?
Location: Le Chautay, France
May 13, 2012 4:59 am
Dear Bugman,
my aunt found this beautiful creature during last summer on the ground – i was wondering if you could identify it for me.
Signature: Cassia
Tiger Moth from France
Dear Cassia,
This is a Tiger Moth, and we cannot find any photos of French or European species that look similar, however, both the wing markings and body markings are remarkably similar to a North American species Hypercompe scribonia, known as the Giant Leopard Moth which is pictured on BugGuide.
Correction Courtesy of Karl: Leopard Moth
Hi Daniel and Cassia:
It probably is a Leopard Moth, but not the North American variety. The European species of Leopard Moth, or Wood Leopard Moth (Zeuzera pyrina), is actually a Carpenter Moth in the family Cossidae. The larvae are stem borers and apparently can take up to three years to develop into adults. They are considered a minor pest on fruit trees. There is a fair amount of online information about the species, including this page from the “Interactive Agricultural Ecological Atlas of Russia and Neighboring Countries”. I don’t know if the North American species Hypercompe scribonia has made it to Europe, but Z. pyrina has been established in the northeastern USA since the late 19th century. Regards. Karl
Wow, thanks Karl,
This Leopard Moth looks so much like the Giant Leopard Moth.
Costa Rica moth
Location: Platanillo, Costa Rica
May 10, 2012 6:37 pm
This beauty was attached to the side of my casa today in Platanillo, Costa Rica – can you identify her? Your website contains a wealth of knowledge – thank you so much!
Signature: Paula
Possibly Automeris belti
Hi Paula,
This is one of the Giant Silkmoths, a group of large colorful moths, many with garish eyespots on the lower wings that have adapted to frighten off predators. Giant Silkmoths do not eat as adults and only live a few days to a week as adults. We believe we have identified your moth as Automeris belti and we will check with Bill Oehlke to verify that identification. Your photo reminds us of the colors of tropical sorbet.
Giant Silkmoth hiding its eye spots!!!
Bill Oehlke Concurs
HI Daniel,
Recently many new Automeris species were described.
If you have a more precise location in Costa Rica, that might help.
I cannot say for sure what it is. It might be belti, and that would be my
first guess, based on what I can see.
Platanillo, CR – 7 miles up from Playa Dominical. Thank you both for your help – it is such an incredible country to discover amazing new bugs! I have also seen another one of those inside my casa – I took it outside and it flew off to live another, eh few days – it’s wing-span was easily 7 inches across, yellow with spots
Folks: I looked at the link for the Automeris belti – I found this poor baby in my casa a couple of weeks ago 
He was not nearly as big as the pale yellow ones I’ve seen, but of course looks precisely like the one in your link. I have also attached a pic of a stunning butterfly, which I took about a month ago.
Thanks so much for peaking my interest in these fascinating creatures. I love being in Costa Rica – I am a native Texan, and the butterflies in Dallas don’t hold a candle to the moths here. Keep up the great work!
Automeris belti
Thanks Paula,
We will try to identify your butterfly and create a distinct posting for it.
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