Philippine Moth
30 September, 2008
Hello Bugman,
I didn’t realize how beautiful these creatures are until my daughter’s boyfriend brought in a moth perched on our porch stool. He initially thought they were dried leaves. When the moth took flight, it displayed a spectacular fuschia color on the back of its wings and silver stripes on the underside of the wings. I wanted to keep it but it was agitated in the aquarium so I let it go… Its about 3ins in length. Our country, Philippines, is tropic but our city is located in the highlands so it can get quite cold.
AFPh
Baguio City, Philippines
Underwing Moth from Philippines
Hi AFPh,
We were obsessed with trying to identify your moth and with our limited free time, it took us a few days to prepare this posting, so the posting date differs from the submission date. We were certain it was one of the Noctuid Moths in the subfamily Catocalinae. Eventually our search led us to a Noctuid Moths of Thailand page with an image of Phyllodes eyndhovii on page 2. A further web search brought us to a Moths of Borneo page, and a photo of Phyllodes verhuelli. We are satisfied that we probably have the correct genus. One page on the Borneo site even has drawings of this species’ genitalia in the event you want to compare your specimen. Often examination of the genitalia is the only definite way to distinguish some species from others in the butterflies and moths.
Thank you so much for your time. You have just helped me become a bug addict . We are discovering new species that haven’t been seen in our area for decades or are just now being seen. I’m thinking climate changes may be a contributing factor to this.
Thanks again.
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Posted 03 October 2008
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Grammodes ocellata
Hi Guys,
Just did a search on your site but didn’t come up with any result for Grammodes ocellata so thought I would send through this pic. Looks a very cat like false face I feel. Taken today on my property, hope you like it.
aussietrev
Northern Burnett region, Queensland Australia.
Australian Owlet Moth
Hi Trev,
Were it not for your numerous contributions, our Australian selections would be considerably less. Thanks for adding Grammodes ocellata, one of your lovely Owlet Moths, to our archives.
Mating Griffin’s Sheepmoths
Bugman, your WTB & Bug Love sites are truly unique and fascinating. Thanks for creating and maintaining these to help us ID what we find in the field. We found a mating pair of Hemileuca griffini while hiking on Pollywog Bench above Lake Powell, UT on the east side of the Escalante River confluence. The photos submitted show the moths embraced around a small dry grass shoot held by someone (finger at bottom). We found the fine amber head hairs and fillary antanni quite beautiful. They remained clutched in spite of our interference. Date taken – 09/23/2008.
•How you want your letter signed
n8urnut
Southern Utah
Griffin
Dear n8urnut,
Thanks so much for sending us your photo of mating Griffin’s Sheepmoths. We will link to the Butterflies and Moths of North America to provide additional information on the species.
Buck Moth – Hemileuca graffini
I live close to Page AZ (northern AZ) and the last few days these beautiful moths have been hatching. They are flying all over Page and the surrounding area. Thanks to your great website, I think I have identified it as a Hemileuca graffini. Keep up the great work!
Carol
Page, AZ (northern AZ)
Buck Moth
Hi Carol,
Thanks for sending us your lovely Buck Moth image. We are happy our site enabled you to identify your specimen as Hemileuca griffini. We may have a typo on our original posting of this species. We believe this might also be the Hera Buck Moth, Hemileuca hera, based on images on the Butterflies and Moths of North America website
Indian Meal Moth
I am having difficulty sending this. We just got power back after a week from the effects of Tropical storm (previously hurricane) Ike. I am writing today to hopefully help others with this nuisance. I searched your site (which I love) for information on the Carolina Praying Mantis we found and thought I’d look up this little booger too. Since you don’t have any photos, I thought I would include some for you. The eggs are almost impossible to see as they are camouflaged to look like the food they are laid in. The white caterpillar, AKA ‘worm’ is about 1/2″ in length.
Indian Meal Moth Caterpillar
The adult moth is much shorter at approx. 1/4 ” in length.
Indian Meal Moth
After the first infestation, in which my kids almost ate some of the ‘worms’ in their Cheerios UGH!! , I threw away all infested food and thoroughly washed out all cabinets and canned goods before putt ing them back. It seems that they are able to chew holes through plastic bags also, so I bought see-through canisters to put my dry goods in the last time. This worked for about a year or so. Imagine my mortification when I came across this last sight…… I bought Raisin Bran and after coming home from the store, it was placed in it’s canister. It sat for a while in the canister on the bottom of the cabinet and recently found at least 50 or more ‘worms with their silken threads all in the cereal!!! 
P I always check my bags for holes especially if I find, for example, a small amount of brownie mix finding it’s way out of the bag before I open it. I’ve heard these are quite common and most people, disgustingly enough, inadvertently eat the eggs in their food without realizing it!! I know y’all don’t endorse extermination, but I draw the line when they are in my food! ) Hopefully the files are small enough not to block your e-mail and big enough for everyone to see. Pl ease let me know if you have any problems. Thanks! I’m off for a good scrubbing again!
Disgusted in OH
Indian Meal Moth Infestation
Dear Disgusted,
First off, we sympathize with your loss of power. Mom, in a suburb of Yourngstown’s east side, was without power for twenty hours. Thanks for this wonderful letter and documentation. We do have images of Indian Meal Moths on our Pantry Pest page, but we need to check to see if they got lost in our site migration. Keeping grain products in tightly sealed cannisters is not always a solution, as food may be infested at the factory, at the warehouse, or on the shelf in the market. Spring cleaning of items in the pantry on a yearly basis will help reduce the risk of infestations. Also be mindful that nuts and spices are not exempt from beetle and moth infestation.
What is happening with the Titan Sphinx?
What is happening with the Titan Sphinx?
I am submitting this as a follow-up to Gary D. Taylor’s wonderful posting of a Titan Sphinx (Aellopos titan) on September 19. I will try not to repeat too much of what I submitted as a comment to that posting (a great new feature on your site, by the way). The Titan Sphinx is considered a tropical species with a normal range extending from northern Argentina to the US Gulf states. Beyond that there are scattered reports of strays in many of the eastern states and southern portions of eastern Canada. I had the great good fortune of seeing this individual in early August of this year in the extreme southeast corner of Manitoba, probably quite close to Garry’s siting. It turns out it has been reported from Manitoba only once before, and that was sometime pre-1925! It makes me wonder, is the species becoming more common up here? Was this just an exceptional year with a few individuals straying northward on a strong south wind? Was it the same individual (pretty unlikely, but an interesting thought)? It would be very interesting to know what other sitings there were this year, and I will definitely be looking for it again next year. Regards.
Karl
Winnipeg, Canada
Titan Sphinx: Tropical species in Canada!!!
Hi Karl,
Thanks for your letter and photo as well as the comment on the previous unusual Titan Sphinx sighting. We are thrilled to break this news to the entomological world. Here at What’s That Bug? we feel compelled to wax on the possibilities of these two unusual sightings. Global Warming perhaps? Transport by Hurricane Ike maybe? Could not some Titan Sphinxes have been picked up by Ike in the Caribbean and ridden the storm north in the relatively calm eye? We will be copying Bill Oehlke on this reply since he has compiled extensive species distribution data on the Sphingidae on his wonderful website. He may request permission to post your photo.
Titan Sphinx moth
While trying to find out what this moth was, we noticed you didn’t have a picture of it on your moth page. My students originally thought it was a hummingbird, then a bee, and finally a moth was suggested. My classes were able to identify it as a Titan Sphinx, Aellopos titan . This was found in the farthest northwest corner of Minnesota, which made it hard to identify because it is not normally here. This will be one of my biggest goals in life, being on your site. The only thing better would be to win a Nasty Reader Award. You have a great reference site.
Respectfully,
Gary D. Taylor
Science Teacher
Tri-County High School
Titan Sphinx
Hi Gary,
Thank you so much for contributing a new species, the Titan Sphinx or White-Banded Day Sphinx, Aellopos titan, to our website. We are linking to Bill Oehlke’s fabulous website in order to provide more information on this species. We just transitioned to our new format this weekend, and we had numerous technical difficulties. We are happy we decided to sort through two day old mail to find post worthy letters. We seriously cannot imagine you ever achieving the infamy of our Nasty Reader Award since your correspondence is so gracious. We will be copying Bill Oehlke on this response as he will probably want to add this unusual sighting to his own website, and he will probably request permission to use your image as well. Bill Oehlke can also verify that the identification is correct.
THIS IS NOT ON YOUR PAGE.OPEN IT AND AT LEAST TELL ME THAT I AM A WASTE OF YOUR TIME
I HAVE SENT YOU A MESSAGE ON THIS BEFORE BUT I GEUSS I DID NOT GET YOUR ATTENTION.I WOULNT SEND IT AGAIN BUT I HAVE CHECKED YOUR SITE AND LIKE 20 OTHERS.PLEASE TELL ME WHAT THIS IS.THERE ARE TWO PICTURES OF IT.I LIVE IN KINGSLAND GEORGIA.THAT IS JUST ON THE BORDER OF FLORADA.MABEY BY POSTING THIS OTHER PEOPLE WONT SEND YOU THE SAME PICTURE.
Polka-Dot Wasp Moth
Your insect is a Polka-Dot Wasp Moth, and we have at least 20 images on our site. The problem you probably had is that you never thought to look under moths since the Polka-Dot Wasp Moth is such an effective wasp mimic. On a more personal note, answering the letters of our readership gives us such gratification, it is never a waste of our time.
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Posted 17 September 2008
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Sphinx/Hawkmoth
I know you are incredibally busy. You previuosly helped me identify mournful sphinx moths that feed on flowers in my backyard and hover like hummingbirds. I have a new photo of a gaudy sphinx I’ve attached. Can you please tell me the difference between hawk moths and sphinx moths? Do all sphinx moths hover like hummingbirds? Are there hawk moths in Central Florida?Thanks,
Tobey Barr
Gaudy Sphinx Moth
Hi Tobey,
Thanks so much for your gorgeous photo of a Gaudy Sphinx. To answer your question, Sphinx Moths and Hawk Moths are the same, but it is a local preference. In the U.S. we say Sphinx and Brits call them Hawk Moths.
Moth
I look at your bug page just about everyday and enjoy everything about it, I came across this moth a while back and can’t ID it and thought maybe you could help. I live right outside San Antonio, Texas. Thank You…
This is a positively beautiful photograph of a Walnut Sphinx, Amorpha juglandis, which can be found on Bill Oehlke’s excellent website.
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Posted 12 September 2008
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Unusual but pretty
Hi folks,
while I was out walking near the shore in Cumbria UK, I come accross these rather pretty little creatures. I have never seen anything like them before so my question is: I didn’t kill them I just took a picture and let them be! What are they? Picture attached…
James W. Smith
Hi James,
These are mating Six Spot Burnet Moths, Zygaena filipendulae, and according to the UK Moths website, they are the commonest day flying Burnet Moth in Britain.
Update: 18 September 2008
Hi, great website. Your pictures of burnet moths titled ” Six Spot Burnet Moths Mating in the UK, (09/12/2008) Unusual but pretty” are actually narrow-bordered five spot burnet moths Zygaena lonicerae. Couldn’t see any way of adding this info to the site.
Cheers
Carterocephalus
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Posted 12 September 2008
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mournful sphinx??
Central Florida, photo taken 9.3.08.
Is this a mournful sphinx? It drinks from my pentas in the evening and hovers like a hummingbird. I’ve always called them hummingbird hawk moths. They come in pairs, and one is darker than the other. They are 1-1.5" tip to tail. Thanks,
Tobey Barr
Hi Tobey,
In our opinion, you are correct with your identification of a Mournful Sphinx, Enyo lugubris. You can read more about this wide ranging Sphinx on Bill Oehlke’s website.
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