Trinidad Moths
Location: Trinidad
July 10, 2011 1:35 pm
Dear Bugman,
I found your homepage by chance when I tried to identify 3 very large moths we saw two weeks ago in Trinidad.
No1 is probably a white witch (picture taken at Asa Nature Lodge); No2 should be a Rothschildia taken at the ladies restroom in the visitor Centre of the Caroni swamps. No3 is a large silkmoth (at least 10cm wingspan)we had at the Radio and Tropospheric Scatter Station at Morne Bleu (670m high in the northern range). It would be nice, if you could help me with identification and/or confirmation of the three species.
Signature: Harald (Heidelberg, Germany)
White Witch
Dear Harald,
WE are positively thrilled to have received your marvelous photos from Trinidad, but since the three moths represent three different families (and three categories in our archives) we are going to split them up into distinct postings. We are starting with the White Witch, Thysania agrippina, a spectacular species that has the largest wingspan of any New World moth, and according to some experts, the greatest wingspan of any moth in the world. The specimen you photographed is in such pristine condition, it is probably making collectors who visit our site salivate with desire, however, we would much rather see a living individual than a perfect specimen mounted in a collection. We will make the subsequent postings later in the day.
leaf bug??
Location: southwest ohio
July 8, 2011 11:10 pm
this was hanging around the front porch light, around 11 pm est. looks like it should be a leaf bug, dont know if they have fuzzy legs though. it was small, less than half an inch
Signature: bibef
Unknown Moth
Dear bibef,
Other than knowing that this is a Moth, we haven’t a clue as to the family, much less the species. This is going to take considerable research on our part as we have no clue where to begin to search. Perhaps one of our readers will be able to assist in the research. Keep tuned to our website for any future updates. This moth, which we suspect will not be confused with any other species once it is identified, is a very effective dead leaf mimic, however, we could not locate it on this Conservation Report webpage dedicated to creatures that mimic leaves.
Unknown Moth
Update: Boxwood Leaftier Moth
ID for July 8′s “Unknown Dead Leaf Mimic Moth”
July 12, 2011 11:36 pm
Graham Montgomery and Corey Husic at BugGuide identify this moth as probably being the Boxwood Leaftier, Galasa nigrinodis (#5552 on the Hodges list); see http://bugguide.net/node/view/544549. The BugGuide images of this species certainly make it seem like a good match!
Signature: W. Randy Hoffman
Ed. NOte: Here is the BugGuide link to the Boxwood Leaftier Moth.
What is this bug?
Location: Denver, Colorado
July 8, 2011 10:23 pm
I found this moth/butterfly bug on my porch and have no clue what it is. What is it?
Signature: -Caleb
Blinded Sphinx
Hi Caleb,
This is a Blinded Sphinx, Paonias excaecatus, and we have posted numerous photos submitted in the past week from all over North America. According to BugGuide, the Blinded Sphinx ranges over: “all of United States and southern Canada.” It is curious that despite varied local weather conditions, we have received reports from so many different locations this week.
Luna Moth – New Brunswick, Canada
Location: Hopewell Cape, New Brunswick, Canada
July 7, 2011 11:36 pm
While my husband was locking the garage late tonight (12:30 am)he saw what he thought was a green bird. It flew past him and landed on our window ledge.
When he got closer he realized it was a moth, one he had never seen before. He grabbed the camera and took the attached photos.
I did an internet search to try to identify the moth and came across your website. Based on the information we see on your site, we believe this is a Luna Moth.
This is the largest moth either of us has seen before. It is also the most beautiful shade of green. We hope it will still be there in the morning when we might get better photos.
We wanted to share this with you.
Signature: Two Canucks
Luna Moth
Dear Two Canucks,
The Luna Moth is surely a glorious creature. Now that it is July, we can expect to begin receiving reports of the second generation of Luna Moths from the southern portion of the range.
Beautiful moth with intricate pattern.
Location: Oakland, CA
July 7, 2011 11:12 pm
I fount this beauty on my bathroom wall. I’m really not so good with moths, so I thought I’d get a second opinion on this one. I’m pretty sure it’s a Double-banded Carpet Moth. It would make sense, since a few of my neighbors stockpiled a LOT of firewood, and I know Double-banded Carpet Moths eat firewood. I did a search on your site for Carpet Moths, so I’m sure if you have any pictures of them. I figured that even if I got the identification right, you might like having these anyway.
Signature: Jessi
Double Banded Carpet
Hi Jessi,
Had you not taken the time to self identify what we agree is most likely a Double Banded Carpet, which we verified on BugGuide, we would probably have used the more general family name of Geometrid Moth. Many moths, 1000s to be sure, have drab coloration and intricate patterns and it is sometimes extremely difficult for our staff to correctly identify them. We should also correct you. The Double Banded Carpet moth larva, one of the Measuringworms or Inchworms, feeds on fireweed, not firewood. This is a new species for our site, though there may be an unidentified Geometrid somewhere in our archives that represents this species. We are guessing you might be the same Jessi that has recently posted quite a few comments on other postings. Thanks for taking the time to contribute to our site.
I am the same Jessi. Your site is the best ever! Thanks so much for having it. Please feel free to correct me any time, because I’m here to learn. 
What’s this moth?
Location: Oakland County, Michigan
July 6, 2011 11:05 am
From Oakland County, Michigan, July 2011. What is this incredible thing? Thanks in advance!
Signature: B. Cranford
Blinded Sphinx
Dear B. Cranford,
It seems Blinded Sphinxes are flying all across the country right now. This is our fourth posting of the species today.
Help!!
Location: Shelton, Washington.
July 7, 2011 1:30 pm
Heyy Bugman(: I live in Shelton Washington. My Mom saw this bug after coming home from the grocery store at around 11:00 am. We all think it looks like a moth, a very BIG moth at that. Hahaha. It tends to stick to everything it steps on. We would love to know what this is.(: My whole family loves your website! Thank you(:
Signature: Ella
Polyphemus Moth
Hi Ella,
This beauty is a Polyphemus Moth. It has probably the greatest range of any North American Giant Silkmoth as it is found across the continental United States and Canada.
Sphinx Moth?
Location: Connecticut shoreline
July 7, 2011 9:52 am
These two very large moths were mating in my garden in Clinton, CT. The larger of the two is almost 3” long (head to wing tip).
I thought they might be blinded sphinxes, but they don’t have the eye on the underwing.
Beautiful and interesting, but what???
Signature: Sincerely, Toni Leland
Mating Blinded Sphinxes
Hi Toni,
You are correct. They are mating Blinded Sphinxes, but the eyespot is covered until the underwings are revealed. This is the third submission of Blinded Sphinxes we are posting today, and they seem to be eclosing from far and wide, including Washington State and Prince Edward Island, Canada.
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