Ctenuchine Tiger Moth?
Dear Bug Man…
Just discovered your site. Cool! Unfortunately, I’ve just spent the last hour cruising your pages when I should be in bed! Anyway, perhaps you can help identify a moth my 12-year-old-budding-entomologist son caught on a cruise ship just outside Cancun Mexico last October… We’ve been told it is a Ctenuchine Tiger Moth, but the entomologist who told us that did not provide the genus and species. Could you please help with the taxonomy? He’s taking the moth to the Missouri State Fair this week… and I’ll bet he’s the only 4-Her to have one at the fair this year!
Thank you so much…
Scott, St. James, MO
ps I’ll have to come back and cruise your site some more with my son… when its not midnight! SA
Hi Scott,
We believe your moth is most likely from the genus Cosmosoma, Family Syntomidae or Ctenuchidae. According to Holland, these are sometimes called Clearwing Wasp Moths. Ctenucha generally have brown or black wings. Sorry we can’t give you an exact species. We only have one member of the genus Cosmosoma stateside. That is the Scarlet Bodied Wasp Moth, Cosmosoma auge. We have a photo on our Moth Page. This is a large genus well represented in Central and South America. Hope that helps.
¶ Posted 09 August 2004 § ‡ ° A few for your collection!
Hi there Bug People!
I like to photograph only the most taken for granted of things in the world…lowly mushrooms and fungus, insects, small rodents, amphibians, etc… I have included a few ( a very small sampling ) of my ‘insect world’ favorites for 2004. Hope you enjoy them! (Personally, I love the Imperial Moth that befriended my hand…the Stag is second place) All of these photos are from the location described below.
Kindest Regards,
Scott Pierson
Actual Location Data: (of all insect photos attached) Earleville, MD – in a small, private community named ‘Hazelmoor’.
Latitude: 39.4401 Longitude: -76.0247
Time is always (approx) between the hours of 20:30 to 00:00 hrs, EDT
My Goodness, Scott,
I admire the structuralist tendencies you have applied to your insect photographs. We agree that your Imperial Moth photo is amazing.
Thank you for your reply – I didn’t realize that you’d already posted it the website! My previous email did not include that “I think the site is great!” What a service to folks – especially those interested in insects. This is a great wealth of information and the fact that there are photos to examine is priceless. It’s great that you take the time to help folks out like this. Thank you again! Kindest Regards, Scott Pierson
What an excellent and fun website! I thought you might be able to help me with two mystery bugs that have proven baffling. The first is a caterpillar I saw in the mountains of central Nepal. It was at about 2000 meters, in cleared but overgrown land. The caterpillar was about 6 and a half cm long, and as you can see below, quite colorful. For lack of a better term, I’ve nicknamed it the ‘Himalayan Dragon’. Any ideas what this dragon turned into later in life?
Thanks!
Robbie
Hi Robbie,
Thanks for the photos of the exotica. They are a mystery to us as well. I can tell you with some degree of assurance, that the caterpillar will probably metamorphose into a moth and not a butterfly. It looks like it is some species of Tiger Moth or Tussock Moth, but we cannot be sure. We are content with the name Himalayan Dragon.
Hi-
We thought you would enjoy seeing another pretty luna moth that has been lounging on our front porch welcoming visitors since yesterday (8-3-04). Since then, it has moved from vertical to horizontal !! Not really exerting itself to much. We are in Dublin, OH (outside Columbus).
Kevin and Lorraine
Thanks so much Kevin and Lorraine,
We are rotating your photo to the vertical position to maximize the size as well as to include the ruler.
Egg-sack thing with worm
I live in Sherman Oaks, a suburb of Los Angeles. I’ve been noticing at least one of these egg-sack things appear in and around my house lately, usually attached to a wall a few feet up from the floor. They are medium brown in color, look and feel like small scrap of paper, and are about one centimeter long. Do you know what is hatching out of it? The little worm keeps poking in and out of a hole at both ends of its “home.”
Thank you, – Shel
Hi Shel,
You have Case-Bearing Moth larvae Phereoeca fallax. Here is some information issued by the County of Los Angeles Agricultural Commissioner/Weights and Measures Department: Entomology Laboratory Services: "Case-bearing Moth Larva (Phereoeca fallax) this is a common species in the Los Angeles basin, specially along coastal areas. The small larvae carry a noticeable case made of fine sand and debris. The case, which is about a quarter to half an inch long, is flattened on top and bottom, expanded at its center and tapered at both ends. They are often found on walls (both outside and inside) of houses and other structures. Larvae are said to feed primarily on insect remains, fur, flannel, and hair: they do not seem to be a clothes pest. Thorough vacuuming should help control their numbers. The adult moths are very small and are rarely seen."
My Granddaughter found this in the yard. I thought you could let us know what type of Moth it is and did it lay eggs. Thanks so much for your reply. Samantha is extremly interested in nature and loves to care for our garden, She is outstanding. I am her grandmother so I think she is the best. Thanks again for your time and interest in this matter. If you have any printed material can you send it to her. thanks again.
Her name is Samantha C. from lewes, delaware. again I thank you for looking at these pictures and finding out what she found and what it’s name is.
D. Smith
Hi D.,
Your granddaughter captured a female Imperial Moth, Eacles imperialis, formerly Basilona imperialis. Those are indeed eggs. When the eggs hatch, tell your granddaughter to feed the caterpillars fresh leaves from Oak, Hickory, or Maple. The moth, which does not feed as an adult, might already be dead. They only live a few days, long enough to mate and lay eggs. Male moths have more purple on the wings. Sorry, we have no printed material to send to Samantha, whose address we tactfully deleted.
I think that this is another hummingbird clearwing moth. If not, let me know. Thought you might like to have this pic. Thanks,
Carol
Hi Carol,
Thanks for the photo. It appears to be a Hummingbird Clearwing Moth, Haemorrhagia thysbe, but it is impossibl to be sure from your photograph. It might be a closely related species.
This pic shows a different angle of the same bug. Maybe it will help to identify it.
Carol
Our best guess is Haemorrhagia axillaris, the summer form of the Snowberry Clearwing.
California Caterpillar
Can you help identify this little guy? I found him on a cement wall in Santa Cruz county California.
Thanks Victor Morris
Hi Victor,
Your photo looks remarkably like a Spotted Tussock Moth (Lophocampa maculata).
The Caterpillars of the Eastern Forest site describes this caterpillar as being: “Black at either end with 4 or 5 orange abdominal segments. Numerous thin white lashes arise from black segments—these distinguish it from woolly bear, which it superficially resembles. Orange abdominal band broken by red or black middorsal tufts. Food: prefers willows and poplars but will consume most any shrub or tree. Caterpillar: July to September; 1 generation.”
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