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Forester Moth from Taiwan

On · Category: Leaf Skeletonizer Moths · 4 Comments

Subject: Re: Metallic blue micro-moth?
Location: Yamingshan National Park, Taiwan
April 7, 2013 5:32 pm
Hello Bugman!
I just returned from a quick trip to Taiwan. I’ve never seen it rain so much, but we managed to get some bugging in between storms. This is a picture of one of the odd ones I can’t seem to find in my books or online. We found this moth (?), which was half an inch long, around mid-day on April 4th on a jungled trail in Yamingshan National Park north of Taipei. The weather alternated between clouds and rain. I was thinking it might be a small geometer moth but I didn’t get a top view before the little guy flittered away into the mists. I appreciate any help you can provide, Bugman.
Thank you so much!
Signature: Marian Lyman Kirst

Unknown Blue Moth from Thailand

Unknown Blue Moth from Taiwan

Dear Marian,
This is sure a pretty little moth, but our initial attempts to identify it have turned up blank.  Perhaps one of our readers will have better luck.

Karl Provides an Identification:
Hi Daniel and Marian:
It looks very similar to the Forrester Moth or Leaf Skeletonizer Moth (Zygaenidae: Procridinae), Clelea sapphirina, from Vietnam posted by Tricia a few months back. It is probably C. formosana, which, as far as I can tell, is the only member of the genus in Taiwan (formerly known as Formosa). Here is a link to a photo of the same species also taken in Yamingshan National Park. Regards.  Karl

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Grapeleaf Skeletonizer

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Subject: What’s this bug?
Location: East Texas
April 5, 2013 10:07 pm
I found this bug by my front porch.. Not sure what it is
Signature: Thanks, Erika

Grapeleaf Skeletonizer

Grapeleaf Skeletonizer

Hi Erika,
This is actually a moth, even though it resembles a wasp.  It is a Grapeleaf Skeletonizer, Harrisina americana, or a closely related species in the same genus.  According to BugGuide:  “Larvae feed on grape foliage, and can be pests; may also feed on Redbud, Virginia Creeper.
Adults take nectar.”

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Forrester Moth from Viet Nam

On · Category: Leaf Skeletonizer Moths · 2 Comments

Subject: Moth with irridescent turquoise markings
Location: Sapa, Vietnam
February 11, 2013 4:15 pm
Dear bugman,
We saw this pretty little moth sitting on a path in a park in Sapa, Vietnam, and are hoping that you can tell us what it is. We have spent many hours combing pages of photographs of fantastically coloured insects, but no luck so far
Signature: Tricia

Forrester Moth

Hi Tricia,
This is the type of identification that might take considerable research, and we are going to post it as unidentified at this time in a effort to respond to some other queries this morning.  Perhaps one of our readers will have time to scour the internet for an identification while we are off on what will most likely be a very long day at our place of gainful employment.

Karl provides an identification
Hi Daniel and Tricia:
It looks like a Burnet or Forester moth in the genus Clelea (Zygaenidae: Procridinae), probably C. sapphirina. I couldn’t find confirmation that it is native to Viet Nam but it ranges from India to Hong Kong, so it seems reasonable that its range would include Viet Nam. It could also be another of the several species in the genus but C. sapphirina appears to be a close match. Regards.  Karl

Thanks Karl,
BugGuide refers to the family Zygaenidae as the Leaf Skeletonizer Moths.

Thank you very much for responding, and it will be interesting to see if the post produces anything. I hadn’t realised quite how many wonderful and fantastic bugs there were out there till I started seriously trying to identify what we’d seen –  if I was a bit younger I might have been inspired to be an etymologist!
Thanks anyway,
Tricia

Hi again Tricia,
An etymologist is a person who studies word and their origins.  A person who studies insects is an entomologist.  We personally love the similarity in the pronunciation of these two fields and Daniel called the first chapter in his book, The Curious World of Bugs, “Entomology and Etymology:  What’s in a Name?”

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Two Moths: Grapeleaf Skeletonizer and Pearly Wood Nymph

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Subject: What is the black & red bug?
Location: The Great Marsh, Beverly Shores, IN
July 28, 2012 11:29 pm
Hi, I like walking through the Great Marsh in Beverly Shores, IN. It is part of the Indiana Dunes National Lake Shore.
I came across a Pearly Wood Nymph which I thought was fascinating. I have included pictures of that. But my question is about the black and red, feathery looking bug. I found it in the Marsh as well. I have never seen another of either bug since then. Thank you.
Signature: Janet baines

Grapeleaf Skeletonizer

Hi Janet,
The insect you would like identified is a Grapeleaf Skeletonizer Moth, Harrisina americana.  According to BugGuide, the adults are nectar feeders and they are unusual in that they are both nocturnal and diurnal.  Caterpillarsfeed in groups on the leaves of grapes, eating them to the veins.  The Pearly Wood Nymph does an excellent job of mimicking bird droppings.

Pearly Wood Nymph

Thank you so much. I am so glad to have discovered this site.
Janet

 

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Leaf Skeletonizer Moth from Japan

On · Category: Leaf Skeletonizer Moths · 2 Comments

Subject: Red-headed tiger moth (?)
Location: Tsuchiura City, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan (about 60 km northwest of Tokyo)
July 6, 2012 4:17 am
Hello Bugman!
This moth came up to say good morning the other day. He landed on me as bold as can be and then flew off. He did stay put long enough for me to get a picture, though.
I always try to find a bug before I post to you, and usually I’m not successful. But this time I think I’ve got it! I guess this beautiful moth is some kind of tiger moth. From his wing shape and red head, I think he must be a ctenucha moth or a clymene moth. I think the ctenucha is most likely, but I couldn’t find any pictures on-line with the same markings as this one has. Can you confirm?
Thank you so much!
Signature: Melissa in Japan

Subject: red-headed moth submission classification
July 6, 2012 5:37 am
Hi Bugman!
I just uploaded a picture of a black-winged moth with a white stripe on its wings and a red head for an identification. A Facebook friend just identified it as ”zygaenidae chalcosiinae pidorus glaucopis‘.
Don’t know the common name, though.
Melissa in Japan
Signature: Melissa Noguchi

Subject: red-headed moth (last one I promise!)
July 6, 2012 6:11 am
Hi again,
We can’t find the common name in English for the moth I submitted, but apparently it’s called a ホタルが (hotaru-ga) in Japanese. A direct translation of the name would be the Firefly Moth.
Melissa (still in Japan)
Signature: Melissa Noguchi

Leaf Skeletonizer Moth: Hotaruga

Hi Melissa,
Thanks for all your emails regarding this lovely moth.  We learned on BugGuide that the family Zygaenidae is commonly called the Leaf Skeletonizer Moths.

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Mating Forester Moths from Israel

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Lepidopteran love
April 12, 2010
Hi WTB,
Here’s a lovely couple of Zygaena graslini moths working on the next generation.
Ben
Eastern Samaria, Israel

Mating Forester Moths

Read Full Post →

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Another Leaf Skeletonizer moth from Maryland

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orange and black moth in maryland
November 2, 2009
I have liven in Maryland my entire life and have not seen this guy before. there were several dozen flying around the house on halloween and they were gone the next day. I never saw one land but when i forced one to the ground it did not move and i was able to pick it up and hold it without it trying to fly away. it did not try to fly when i set it on the ground or an elevated point, i had to toss it in the air and then it flew just as it had been. the abdomen has several black spots around pores but no hair, the head is black and the wings are black near the body and transparent at the tips.
Richard
Pasadena Maryland

Leaf Skeletonizer Moth

Leaf Skeletonizer Moth

Hi Richard,
WE were very puzzled by another letter we received yesterday with images.  It seems this is an introduced species of Leaf Skeletonizer Moth, Pryeria sinica.  You can read about it on the Invasive Species of Concern in Maryland website.   The website indicates:  “In April and May of both 2001 and 2002, a homeowner in the City of Fairfax, Fairfax County, Virginia, noticed a large infestation of larvae on her ornamental Euonymus (Celastraceae); the larvae were causing significant defoliation of the plants. In May 2002, several larval specimens were sent to the Insect Identification Lab, Department of Entomology, Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg, Virginia for identification. The entomologist there (Eric Day) reared the larvae to adults, which emerged in November. Additional adults were collected at the Fairfax site in December 2002 and submitted to the Insect Identification Lab. Eric forwarded the adults to John Brown at the USDA Systematic Entomological Laboratory (SEL) in March 2003. Based on the available literature, comparison with specimens in the collection of the National Museum of Natural History, and consultation with Dr. Marc Epstein, the specimens were identified as Pryeria sinica Moore (Lepidoptera: Zygaenidae), which previously is unreported from the United States.”

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Leaf Skeletonizer Moth on Euonymus

On · Category: Leaf Skeletonizer Moths Tagged With: · 2 Comments

What is this Orange, Yellow, Black bug?
October 31, 2009
Flying insect found in Anne Arundel County, MD. Size =0.75 inch. Wing span compact (delta shape) about 1.25 inches when extended. Dark wing veins. Head and feet black. Abdomen yellow/orange and appears “fuzzy”.
Currently swarming. Swarms appear to be mating and are found on top branches of euonymus bushes (our Burning Bush was decimated by caterpillars this spring, could this be the same insect?). Never seen this variety of bug in past 12 years in this area.
Peter
Anne Arundel County, MD 21146

Unknown Sawfly? or Moth???

Unknown Sawfly? or Moth???:  Leaf Skeletonizer Moth

Hi Peter,
We really wish your photograph was of a higher resolution as it is impossible to make out any details on your infestation.  We found information on a Euonymus Caterpillar, Yponomeuta cagnagella, but the photos of the moths on BugGuide look nothing like your insect.  We also located a pdf (euonymus_A3633) on the same species.  We believe your insects look like Sawflies, but again, there isn’t much detail.  We have not had any success locating information on a Sawfly that uses Euonymus as a host plant.  If there was a caterpillar invasion in the spring, and sawfly larvae are often confused for caterpillars, we suspect these adults might be related.  We would not rule out moths, but we suspect these are Sawflies.  Perhaps one of our readers will be able to assist in a proper identification.

Unknown Sawfly? or Moth???

Unknown Sawfly? or Moth???:  Leaf Skeletonizer Moth

Eric Eaton Responds:
Oh, man….My first thought is “aphids,” actually, or maybe psyllids?  Might try sending this to the Ent Dept. at University of Maryland in College Park.  They will probably recognize it right off….
Eric

Bagworm Moth Perhaps

Leaf Skeletonizer Moth Perhaps

Our identification request:
Dear Drs. Mitter, Kent and/or Hawthorne,
My name is Daniel Marlos and I run the highly unscientific, pop culture, insect identification website What’s That Bug? at www.whatsthatbug.com on the web.  Today I received an image from Maryland that has me perplexed.  I thought perhaps a sawfly or even a moth like a Bagworm.  Eric Eaton has suggested possibly an Aphid or a Psyllid.  The insect is swarming on Euonymus and there were caterpillars on the same plant in the spring.  Can anyone provide an identification?  I realize the photo is of very low resolution.
Thanks for your time.  Here is a link to the posting:  http://www.whatsthatbug.com/2009/11/02/sawfly-on-euonymus-we-believe/
Daniel Marlos

Bagworm Moths Maybe

Daniel,
Thanks for the reply.  I’ll have to work on getting a camera that can do close-ups.  I looked at the sawfly photos on Google images- not even close. The bugs in my yard have dark heads (black) and fuzzy (furry) bodies.  No saw extending out the back of abdomen.
The antenna are very long and branching like those of a moth.
The head and legs are black.  The wings translucent with black veins and a black hue. The abdomen is bright yellow-orange and fuzzy.
I’ve tried to take some additional photos (bugs out side are rather sluggish in the cool weather), but I still lack close-up lens to really get detail.  I’ll send these in separate e-mails since they are rather large.
Look forward any further thoughts you may have.  They are a very unusual and quiet beautiful bug….
Peter

Unknown Moth on Euonymus

Leaf Skeletonizer Moth on Euonymus

Thanks Peter,
The new photos are so much better.

Identified by Edna
NAKED see this
now that i have your attention..here is a link to those things you wanted to know what are from anne arundal county,,,that eric eaton thought could be aphids
they are something new! an introduced species of leaf skeletonizer moths..
http://bugguide.net/node/view/155100#205755
also would you like some photos of the sequoie sphinx larve, or a nice shot of elegant sphinx larve , ash sphinx  for your sphinx pages? if so let me know..
Edna

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination