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Scarlet Tiger from the UK

Moths?
Location: Oxford UK
June 19, 2011 11:12 am
I think this a moth but not one I’ve seen before.
Photo taken afternoon in June 2011 in Oxford, UK, on Clematis.
I’m holding one wing out to show the red one underneath. It has a red lined body too. (Not sure why it put up with this indignity!)
Size is around 4cm long.
Signature: Tony Roberts

scarlet tiger uk tony 300x206 Scarlet Tiger from the UK

Scarlet Tiger

Dear Tony,
The best place to identify Moths from the UK is the UK Moths website, where we quickly identified your moth as a Scarlet Tiger, Callimorpha dominula.  This diurnal species is relatively unique among the Tiger Moths, because, according to the UK Moths site:  “It is one of the few tiger moths with developed mouthparts, allowing it to feed on nectar.”

Posted 19 June 2011 § Tiger Moths and Arctiids ‡ Comments (0) °
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Elephant Hawkmoth from Ireland

whats this
Location: Ireland
June 19, 2011 5:37 am
I found this bug in my back yard. I was wondering what its called
Signature: Mr

elephant hawkmoth ireland 300x241 Elephant Hawkmoth from Ireland

Elephant Hawkmoth

Dear Mr,
This lovely moth is known as an Elephant Hawkmoth, Deilephila elpenor, and according to the UK MOths website:  “The English name of this moth is derived from the caterpillar’s fanciful resemblance to an elephant’s trunk.  The adults are attractively coloured pink and green affairs, with a streamlined appearance. They fly from May to July, visiting flowers such as honeysuckle (Lonicera) for nectar.  The larvae feed mainly on rosebay willowherb (Epilobium angustifolium), but also other plants as well, including bedstraw (Galium).  It is a common species in most of Britain, including Scotland, where it has increased its range in recent years.”

Posted 19 June 2011 § Hummingbird Moths, Sphinx Moths or Hawk Moths ‡ Comments (0) °

Male Io Moth

Large yellow moth with black spots with white strike in center, ringed black and red center wings
Location: Bluemont Va
June 18, 2011 9:33 pm
I found this in my lampshade my house in northern Virginia at about 1000 ft elevation in semi forested area. Please help identify. thanks
Signature: Susan Holloran

io moth male susan 300x215 Male Io Moth

Male Io Moth

Hi Susan,
This is a male Io Moth, Automeris io, a species of Giant Silkmoth with distinct sexual dimorphism, meaning males and females look different from one another.  The upper wings of the female are a warm brown color rather than the yellow of the male.

Posted 19 June 2011 § Giant Silk Moths ‡ Comments (0) °
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Jumping Spider eats MOth

Never seen in 36 years
Location: Vancouver BC Canada
June 16, 2011 6:52 pm
I thought I’d seen all the spiders in my yard, but apparently not. I have seen a few of these in the last couple of days and was wondering what they were. Btw my most unfavorite spiders in my house/yard are the giant house spiders, man are they fast!
Signature: Shawn B

phidippus foodchain canada shawn 300x206 Jumping Spider eats MOth

Jumping Spider eats Moth

Dear Shawn,
This is a Jumping Spider in the genus Phidippus.  Many species in the genus are highly variable in color and many species look similar.  Here is a photo that looks close from BugGuide.  Jumping Spiders do not make a snare to capture prey.  They are hunting spiders that jump great distances.  They have excellent eyesight.  They will follow the movements of a human observer.  This poor individual pictured on BugGuide looks as though it didn’t survive its human encounter.

Posted 17 June 2011 § Jumping Spiders ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

Blinded Sphinx

Moth
Location: Eastrn Washington
June 13, 2011 11:56 pm
Hello
Hope you had a good holiday!
Found this moth on my house. Is it a Sphinx moth…found pics of them but not quite like this one. Comparing to the Sphinx the head is a different shape as is the end of the body..flat instead of pointed. Any thoughts??
Signature: Lynda R

blinded sphinx lynda 300x233 Blinded Sphinx

Blinded Sphinx

Hi Lynda,
As we feebly attempt to put a dent in all the identification requests we received during our week away from the office, we are trying to post the most beautiful images of the most significant sightings.  You were very astute to determine that this is a Sphinx Moth in the family Sphingidae.  According to BugGuide, there are 124 North American species, and there is a great deal of diversity within the family, however, the general wing shape and body shape is relatively consistent.  This is a Blinded Sphinx, Paonias excaecata, and you may read more about the species on the Sphingidae of the Americas website.

Posted 16 June 2011 § Hummingbird Moths, Sphinx Moths or Hawk Moths ‡ Comments (0) °

White Plume Moth from the UK

white dragonfly type
Location: bristol, england, uk
June 14, 2011 2:01 pm
i was clearing some weeds from around my dahlias, astors and honesty when this beautiful white flying insect flew out then landed on the grass. i thought it was so beautiful and am now desperate to find out what it is as i have never seen it before. i have searcjed google and cant seem to identify it. it was about (very appx) 1 inch in length with a somilar wingspan. it has bern quite hot here today following a very wet spell.can u help?
Signature: natalie

plume moth uk natalie 300x206 White Plume Moth from the UK

White Plume Moth

Hi Natalie,
This is most definitely a Plume Moth in the family Pterophoridae, and after searching the UK Moths website, we believe it is the White Plume Moth, Pterophorus pentadactyla.  Your photo does not clearly illustrate the very distinctive wings of the White Plume Moth because of the camera angle, but we still believe the identification is correct.  The UK Moths website indicates:  “Probably the most distinctive of the ‘Plume’ moths, and one of the largest. Its wings are deeply divided into several ‘fingers’, each of which is finely feathered, or plumed.  Quite common over much of Britain, inhabiting dry grassland, waste ground and gardens.   The adults fly from dusk onwards in June and July, and sometimes have a second generation in September.”

Posted 16 June 2011 § Plume Moths ‡ Comments (0) °

Mating Royal Moths in Brazil

Moth in Brazil
Location: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
June 13, 2011 11:05 am
Hi bugman.
Found a strange looking moth, haven´t figured out which species it might be. Can you help me out?
Signature: Mary Drumond

citheronia laocoon mating brazil mary 272x300 Mating Royal Moths in Brazil

Mating Royal Moths

Dear Mary,
We believe we have correctly identified your mating Royal Moths as a pair of Citheronia laocoon, but we would like to copy Bill Oehlke on our response to get his opinion.  He may also request permission to use your excellent photo on his website.  The smaller individual in your photo is the male, and we do not know if this size discrepancy is normal, or if this is just an abnormally small male.  The male has a wider yellow band on the upper wings than the female.  Here are some photos of mounted specimens of Citheronia laocoon on the Lepidoptera Barcode of Life website.

Bill Oehlke confirms identification
Daniel,
Thanks for thinking of me. Here is email I just sent to Mary.
Hi Mary,
Yes, it is Citheronia laocoon.
Males are typically smaller than females, but it would appear that you probably have encountered a smaller than average male pairing with a larger than average female.
Thanks for permission to post photo.
I am very interested in seeing and posting images of Saturniidae and Sphingidae with dates and locations. I should be able to help with identifications of any moths from those two families.
Bill Oehlke

Dear Mr. Marlos and Mr. Oehlke,
Can you tell me if this month is native to Brazil (rio de janeiro) as its the first time i see anything like it around here.
Thank you so much for you reply, and yes, you may use the picture.
Thank you once again

Hi Mary,
I realized that neither Bill Oehlke nor I confirmed that this is a native species for you.

Well, i googled it (ha ha)
Apparently its native to south america, but i didnt get specifics on my state, rio de janeiro, which is on the coast. Like i said previously, i had never seen anything like it befor. Our moths tend to be small, dull and to be quite honest, ugly.
Big beautiful moths like these are a real treat.
My friend thought they were from argentin and might be escaping volcanic ash from the chilean volcano this week.
Seems a bit far.
Thank you for all your time and attention.
Mary

2

Posted 15 June 2011 § Giant Silk Moths ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

Banded Sphinx

Vine Sphinx Moth in SE Texas?
Location: Liberty County, Texas
June 11, 2011 6:49 pm
Found this beauty on the passenger front tire of my ’72 Imperial. Spent some time looking on the site, and found a pic of a Vine Sphinx another contributor had sent in, and it was the closest match. Many thanks for the great site
Signature: Johnny in Texas

banded sphinx johnny 300x287 Banded Sphinx

Banded Sphinx

Dear Johnny,
We ourselves often have a very difficult time distinguishing between two species, the Vine Sphinx, Eumorpha vitis, and the Banded Sphinx, Eumorpha fasciatus, and we believe this moth is the Banded Sphinx.  According to the Sphingidae of the Americas website, the two species are both found in Texas, and you may compare your moth to the images posted there.  The Sphingidae of the Americas page on the Vine Sphinx offers this means to distinguish between the species:  “The upperside of the moth is dark pinkish brown. Each forewing has a lighter brown band along the costa, and sharp pinkish white bands and streaks. The hindwing has a pink patch on the inner margin, but lacks the pink along the outer margin, distinguishing it from fasciata.
Note the large brown “parallelogram” between lowest of three striga upwards toward the transverse lines. In E. fasciatus this same area is very small, almost non-existent.”   On BugGuide, the Banded Sphinx is described as having:  “Strong white bands on wings. Brown band on costa (leading edge of forewing) distinguishes from the similar, less widespread, Vine Sphinx, E. vitis.”  Your moth appears to have that brown band on the leading edge of the forewing, hence our opinion that this is a Banded Sphinx.

Posted 15 June 2011 § Hummingbird Moths, Sphinx Moths or Hawk Moths ‡ Comments (0) °

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