rss what’s this moth?
Hi, I found your site useful, and already identified a Cerisy’s sphinx moth based on one of the photos someone else sent in. Can you tell me what this moth is? I photographed it in Chetwynd, British Columbia, in early Jun. It was just sitting on the sidewalk early in the morning.
Melanie
Hi Melanie,
Based on an image we found on BugGuide, we are relatively certain this is a St. Lawrence Tiger Moth, Platarctia parthenos. It is a new species for our website.
Beautiful Clymene moth?
Hello fellow insect lovers,
I just wanted to start by saying that your site has really educated my family on the types of insects we have outside our home. I understand your "swamped", but now I have a need to know exactly what im looking at, because of you guys. So…what kind of moth is this? Some type of Clymene? Were up in Burlington Vermont.
Thanks
Bern
Hi Bern,
We don’t know what species this is, but it is definitely a Tiger Moth in the genus Haploa, a close relative of the Clymene Moth, but not Haploa clymene.
“Yellow Jacket” Moth
Here is a moth that looks just like a yellow jacket. It even has a fake yellow jacket mouth. Hope you enjoy!
David
Eagle River, AK
Hi David,
We recently met a lepidopterist, Julian P. Donohue, who specializes in Wasp Moths. We will see if he can give us an exact species on this Wasp Moth. Here is what Julian wrote back: “Hi Daniel, The moth is indeed a wasp moth, family Sesiidae (formerly called Aegeriidae). All my references for this family are at the Museum, so I can’t begin to start putting a name on it. Where it was found would be a major help–there are many species that are very similar in appearance, but all don’t occur in the same places. The larvae of all are borers in roots and stems of various plants. The hostplant may be specific for a particular species, while other species feed as larvae on a variety of different plants. Some are severe pests of horticultural, ornamental, and agricultural crops. In the last two decades great strides have been made in studying the distribution and taxonomy of this family, using traps with synthetic pheromones as an attractant (most are dayfliers and very difficult to collect with a net–if you can even see them!). The pheromones were originally developed for use with sticky traps to detect the presence of pest species (e.g., peach tree borer), so growers would know when (and whether) to institute control measures. In haste, Julian “
Polka-Dot Wasp Moth Eggs
Hello again! I was just going through some old pictures I have and I found this picture of a Polka-Dot Wasp Moth laying its eggs on my oleander (of course, they were removed when it was finished… ) and thought it was worth sharing… Best Regards,
Matthew
Hi Matthew,
We really scored with your photos today.
Took this picture in AJO Arizona.
Alma Jo
Thanks for the photo of the Striped Morning Sphinx, Hyles lineata, Alma Jo.
Luna moth photo
Hi,
Wanted to share this photo. This is the first time we have seen a luna moth at our home in NH…we have lived here for 20 years. He (I think) stayed in the same spot for nearly 18 hours, and was gone the next morning.
Lynn
Hi Lynne,
We will have to leave your photo on our homepage for a bit as we are beginning to get letters with Luna Moths again.
Help ID the Pitt. Stealer Moth
Everyone is driving me up the wall, they want to know what kind of moth this is. I have looked on the net and in some books. But nothing. I live in Northwest Al. Found this on the porch a couple of mornings ago. It is about the size of a silver dollar. I call it the Loon Moth, some are calling it the Pitts. Stealer moth.
Sherry Waldrep
Cherokee Al
Hi Sherry,
We would love to lobby to have the name of the Clymene Moth, Haploa clymene changed to the Pittsburgh Steelers Moth
What the heck is this?
Hi.
Hope you can help us. My sister-in-law found the following "insect" on the siding outside of her house yesterday. None of us have seen anything like it before. It appears to be about an inch or two long. We live in Cape May County, NJ. Any info you have on it would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
Maureen Cawley
Ed. Note: The string of family emails also contained the following gems of wisdom.
Does anyone know what the heck this is? It was on the back wall of our house yesterday. He’s kind of cute, provided he doesn’t get bigger and bigger and start devouring us. (Troy, please show pics to Emmett. I told him about it and said I’d take pictures.)
I zoomed the pictures and brightened them a bit so I could more accurately identify this interesting specimen. I came to the conclusion that…I have no friggin’ idea what this is. But it seems you got a great picture of its butt. That’s what you get for moving “off-shore”. The Cape May County Mosquito Commission no doubt exterminated all of these little suckers from the island years ago…It probably had something to do with the clouds of DDT they would spray through the streets. (Which I would subsequently run through with my toy guns playing “army man”…That could explain some things, eh? Like the headaches.) Anna says maybe it’s a baby bat. Katie says a baby butterfly. Emmett’s vote: Some kind of bug (boring). And Maureen says you should alert FEMA and not go outside for 6 months. I think you should have smushed it. That’s a term entomologists use for what they do with bugs that are “icky.”
Troy
P.S. I will research this extensively this evening, provided thunderstorms don’t rip through South Jersey and keep me busy with actual work. Yuck.
Dear Maureen, Emmett, Anna, Katie and Troy,
We think this is a Spotted Apatelodes Moth, Apatelodes torrefacta. This moth ranges from Canada to the Southern state and west to the Mississippi River. It is relatively common in the Appalacian region.
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