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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Echo Moth

Is this a tiger moth?
November 6, 2009
My friends and I discovered this beautifully colored moth on a handrail outside of my school. We couldn’t find anything quite like this bug on the internet. My school is located next to a nature reserve if that helps any.
Marina D.
Miami, Florida

Echo Moth

Echo Moth

Hi Marina,
You are correct in speculating that this is a Tiger Moth in the family Arctiidae.  More specifically, it is an Echo Moth, Seirarctia echo, a species known from Florida and a few nearby states.  This is the first image we have received of an adult moth, though we have received a few caterpillar images in the past.  BugGuide has only one photo of an adult Echo Moth, but more may be viewed on the Wild FLorida Photo site.

Posted 07 November 2009 § Tiger Moths and Arctiids ‡ Comments (0) °

Spotted Oleander Caterpillar Moth from the Caribbean

Please identify this winged creature
November 1, 2009
Found this bug outside my door, while in med school in St,Maarten
Dmitry
St.Maarten, Carribean

Spotted Oleander Caterpillar Moth

Spotted Oleander Caterpillar Moth

Hi Dmitry,
This is a Spotted Oleander Caterpillar Moth, Empyreuma affinis.  It is native to the Caribbean and has been introduced to Florida.

Posted 02 November 2009 § Tiger Moths and Arctiids ‡ Comments (0) °

Leaf Skeletonizer Moth on Euonymus

What is this Orange, Yellow, Black bug?
October 31, 2009
Flying insect found in Anne Arundel County, MD. Size =0.75 inch. Wing span compact (delta shape) about 1.25 inches when extended. Dark wing veins. Head and feet black. Abdomen yellow/orange and appears “fuzzy”.
Currently swarming. Swarms appear to be mating and are found on top branches of euonymus bushes (our Burning Bush was decimated by caterpillars this spring, could this be the same insect?). Never seen this variety of bug in past 12 years in this area.
Peter
Anne Arundel County, MD 21146

Unknown Sawfly? or Moth???

Unknown Sawfly? or Moth???: Leaf Skeletonizer Moth

Hi Peter,
We really wish your photograph was of a higher resolution as it is impossible to make out any details on your infestation.  We found information on a Euonymus Caterpillar, Yponomeuta cagnagella, but the photos of the moths on BugGuide look nothing like your insect.  We also located a pdf (euonymus_A3633) on the same species.  We believe your insects look like Sawflies, but again, there isn’t much detail.  We have not had any success locating information on a Sawfly that uses Euonymus as a host plant.  If there was a caterpillar invasion in the spring, and sawfly larvae are often confused for caterpillars, we suspect these adults might be related.  We would not rule out moths, but we suspect these are Sawflies.  Perhaps one of our readers will be able to assist in a proper identification.

Unknown Sawfly? or Moth???

Unknown Sawfly? or Moth???: Leaf Skeletonizer Moth

Eric Eaton Responds:
Oh, man….My first thought is “aphids,” actually, or maybe psyllids?  Might try sending this to the Ent Dept. at University of Maryland in College Park.  They will probably recognize it right off….
Eric

Bagworm Moth Perhaps

Leaf Skeletonizer Moth Perhaps

Our identification request:
Dear Drs. Mitter, Kent and/or Hawthorne,
My name is Daniel Marlos and I run the highly unscientific, pop culture, insect identification website What’s That Bug? at www.whatsthatbug.com on the web.  Today I received an image from Maryland that has me perplexed.  I thought perhaps a sawfly or even a moth like a Bagworm.  Eric Eaton has suggested possibly an Aphid or a Psyllid.  The insect is swarming on Euonymus and there were caterpillars on the same plant in the spring.  Can anyone provide an identification?  I realize the photo is of very low resolution.
Thanks for your time.  Here is a link to the posting:  http://www.whatsthatbug.com/2009/11/02/sawfly-on-euonymus-we-believe/
Daniel Marlos

Bagworm Moths Maybe

Leaf Skeletonizer Moths Maybe

Daniel,
Thanks for the reply.  I’ll have to work on getting a camera that can do close-ups.  I looked at the sawfly photos on Google images- not even close. The bugs in my yard have dark heads (black) and fuzzy (furry) bodies.  No saw extending out the back of abdomen.
The antenna are very long and branching like those of a moth.
The head and legs are black.  The wings translucent with black veins and a black hue. The abdomen is bright yellow-orange and fuzzy.
I’ve tried to take some additional photos (bugs out side are rather sluggish in the cool weather), but I still lack close-up lens to really get detail.  I’ll send these in separate e-mails since they are rather large.
Look forward any further thoughts you may have.  They are a very unusual and quiet beautiful bug….
Peter

Unknown Moth on Euonymus

Leaf Skeletonizer Moth on Euonymus

Thanks Peter,
The new photos are so much better.

Identified by Edna
NAKED see this
now that i have your attention..here is a link to those things you wanted to know what are from anne arundal county,,,that eric eaton thought could be aphids
they are something new! an introduced species of leaf skeletonizer moths..
http://bugguide.net/node/view/155100#205755
also would you like some photos of the sequoie sphinx larve, or a nice shot of elegant sphinx larve , ash sphinx  for your sphinx pages? if so let me know..
Edna

Posted 02 November 2009 § ‡ Comments (1) ° Tagged:
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Tersa Sphinx

Moth at the beach
October 30, 2009
Saw this moth at a rental house while at the beach. It hung out a few days so we decided to snap a picture
The Fairchild’s
Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Tersa Sphinx

Tersa Sphinx

Dear Fairchilds,
This is a Tersa Sphinx.  We just posted a few photos of its caterpillar, so it is nice to have the adult moth images as well.

Posted 31 October 2009 § Hummingbird Moths, Sphinx Moths or Hawk Moths ‡ Comments (0) °

Melonworm Moth

this guy landed on my brothers desk at work
October 22, 2009
this guy landed this past monday october 20th 2009 on my brothers desk at work in plano tx. it sat there wiggling its tail side to side.
kris
plano tx

Melonworm Moth

Melonworm Moth

Hi Kris,
With its distinctive wings and tufted abdomen, it is not likely that the Melonworm Moth, Diaphania hyalinata, will be confused with other species.  Larvae feed on plants in the cucumber family, and if present in sufficient quantities, they can be a pest.

Thank u so much. My old bug book just didn’t have it anymore
But that might have been because when we
Were kids we used the ol book so much that
Pages r missing so. We really appreciate
Your fast answer!!!! U made an ol gal happy!
Sent from kris’s phone

Posted 23 October 2009 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Bagworm Moth from the Swiss Alps

Fuzzy Black bug from the Alps
October 19, 2009
I have always wondered what this bug is. My husband and I encountered it a few years ago when we were hiking in the mountains in Switzerland. We were taking a lunch break just above the tree line and this little guy just floated onto my arm and hung out there for a while. You can see from the scale of the picture that it was small, about the size of a fly but covered with a fine fuzz, and it had feathery antenna where its eyes should have been. Have you seen this before?
Hiking Girl
Swiss Alps

Black Woolly Aphid???

Bagworm Moth

Dear Hiking Girl,
WE are going to enlist our readership for assistance with your insect.  We believe it is a Homopteran, a group of insects that includes Aphids.  Your specimen bears a striking resemblance to a Woolly Aphid, but it is black instead of white.  Please check back on our site to see if any of our readers have provided comments that correctly identify this minute creature.

Black Woolly Aphid???

Bagworm Moth

Hi, thanks for posting my bug! One thing I remember; when I first saw it I thought it was a mutated form of a fly or some other bug because it didn’t have eyes or a typical head or mouth that I could see, just the fine fur everywhere. The antenna were actually in place of the eyes. There were no eyes on this bug that I could see. It looks like the other woolly aphids on your site have eyes. So, maybe they are not the same exact species.

Comment from Eric Eaton
Hi, Daniel:
I think the “woolly aphid” thing from the alps is actually a moth in the family Heterogynidae, but I can’t find an image of anything identical to what is posted at WTB.  Try Julian Donahue, he might be able to at least verify or correct the family I’m giving you.
Eric

Comment from Karl
Hi Hiking Girl:What a lovely and curious looking creature! It’s an excellent photo but the details are still a little difficult to see with all the dark fuzz. It appears to have four, slightly hairy wings and long bipectinate or plume-like antennae poking out of all that hair. I believe this is a Bagworm or Case Moth (family Psychidae). It looks very much like a male Ptilocephala plumifera (Oiketicinae: Oreopsychini), a species that occurs throughout most of Europe south of the British Isles and Scandinavia. Bagworms get their name because the larvae construct cases out of silk and any handy materials they can find (sticks, sand, plant material, etc.). They drag their cases around with them and anchor them to a surface when they pupate. For comparison you can link to:

http://barry.fotopage.ru/bk/index.php?species=1730

Great bug – thanks for sharing.  K

Comment from Julian Donahue
October 23, 2009
Hi Daniel,
Good call by Eric, but I can’t confirm it. I don’t think heterogynid wings are that scaleless (photos on the Web show fully scaled wings)–if it’s a moth, the lack of wing scales make it look more like a psychid.
But without having the specimen in hand I can’t even confirm what order it’s in!
Julian

Comment from Eric Eaton
Wow, I think Karl nailed it!  What a wonderful insect.
I have learned just as much from WTB as I’ve brought to it.  Thanks, guys, for networking to solve mysteries like this.
Eric

Posted 21 October 2009 § ‡ Comments (1) °

Hummingbird Moth from Japan

Green moth found in Japan
October 13, 2009
Hello!
My friend took a photo of this lovely moth in Tokyo, mid-October, near her apartment. I’ve been trying to find out exactly what it is, and I think it may be a Cephonodes species, but I’m unsure exactly what. If you could help give an exact ID that would be wonderful :)
choco
Tokyo, Japan

Cephonodes hyles

Cephonodes hyles

Hi choco,
Your photo is tiny and lacking in resolution, but we agree that this is a Cephonodes species, probably Cephonodes hylas.  We found a photo quickly by doing a web search of Sphingidae Japan, and then double checked on the Sphingidae of the Eastern Palaearctic website.  That site states:  “When the moth first emerges, which it usually does in the early morning, the hyaline portion of the wings is covered densely with greyish scales. These come off in a little cloud when the wings are rapidly vibrated before the first flight (Bell & Scott, 1937)” and we believe these scales are present in your specimen, indicating that it has newly metamorphosed and has not yet flown.  Diurnal Sphinghids are often called Hummingbird Moths in North America since they are frequently mistaken for hummingbirds, and we are taking creative license with that common name in our posting title.

Posted 14 October 2009 § Hummingbird Moths, Sphinx Moths or Hawk Moths ‡ Comments (1) °

Tiger Moth from Ecuador: Idalus species

moth identification
October 11, 2009
This photo was taken in Ecuador in the cloud forest, I would really like to know what kind of moth it is.
Thais
Ecuador, Nanegal

Unknown Tiger Moth

Tiger Moth

Hi Thais,
We will contact lepidopterist, Julian Donahue, an expert in the Arctiids, to see if he can provide the species name for this beautiful Tiger Moth.

Identification by Julian Donahue
It’s a tiger moth in the genus Idalus. There are quite a few species in the genus, and I can’t give you a species name without comparing the photo to specimens in the collection (and even then there’s a chance we don’t have it there with a name). It’s similar to photos of Idalus herois posted on the Web, but there are a number of very similar species, and details of the head are not visible in this photo.
Julian

Posted 11 October 2009 § Tiger Moths and Arctiids ‡ Comments (0) °

Geometrid Moth: Barberry Looper???

Is this a Four Spotted Fungus Moth?
October 10, 2009
Hello Bugman!
This little fella spread himself out all comfy and cozy on my dresser!
Is this a Four Spotted Fungus Moth?
And if it isn’t – do you know what it is?
Thanks in advance for your assistance, Kristina
Raleigh, North Carolina – Kristina’s Dresser

Geometrid Moth

Geometrid Moth

Hi Kristina,
This is not a Four Spotted Fungus Moth.  It is some species of Geometrid Moth, but we are uncertain of the exact species.  It might be a Barberry Looper, Coryphista meadii.

Posted 11 October 2009 § Geometrid Moths ‡ Comments (0) °

Squash Vine Borer

Terrifying Orange Hornet(?)
October 8, 2009
Hi Bugman-
I spotted two of these orange flyers today in my backyard garden in Austin, Texas. They were buzzing around my zucchini plant(hopefully pollinating it in the process). They seemed a lot more interested in the plant than in me, yet due to my wildly irrational fear of stinging insects, I was petrified. I only managed to get a few shots before the buzzed away for good. I tried to identify them online but haven’t had any luck. Any idea on the species?
John
Austin, Texas

Squash Vine Borer

Squash Vine Borer

Hi John,
This is not a hornet.  It is a moth that mimics a hornet for protection.  It is a Squash Vine Borer, and the larvae will bore in the stems of squash and pumpkin vines, causing the plants to wither.

Squash Vine Borer

Squash Vine Borer

Thank you so much for the heads up. Before I had only heard of the Squash Bug as a pest to look out for around my squash vine. After I got your email, I read up on the Vine Borer, went out in the garden and saw the telltale signs that of the borers inside. I did some surgery with a knife and tweezers and pulled out a big fat borer larva…it’s a fairly small plant so I’m hoping it was the only one. Thank you so much for your help, you’re a lifesaver! -John

Posted 08 October 2009 § Clearwings ‡ Comments (0) °

Death’s Head Hawkmoth

moth
October 7, 2009
please can you tell me what this moth is that we came across whilst we were on holiday in the southwest of france in september 2009? are they poisones and should i have handled it
pauline
south west france

Death's Head Hawkmoth

Death's Head Hawkmoth

Hi pauline,
Congratulations on your sighting of a Death’s Head Hawkmoth, Acherontia atropos, the moth that was featured in the book and movie Silence of the Lambs.  It is found in the Middle East and Mediterranean regions.  Though we have received several images of caterpillars in the past, we believe this is the first image we have received of an adult moth or imago.  Wikipedia has an extensive page on this fascinating species.  It is not poisonous.

Comment
The Caterpillar of this species [which I believe has a wide geographic range] is consumed. In Papua New Guinea.
Dave Gracer

Posted 07 October 2009 § Hummingbird Moths, Sphinx Moths or Hawk Moths ‡ Comments (2) ° Tagged:

Eyetail Moth from Costa Rica

Butterfly
October 6, 2009
Hi Bugman,
Have had a lot of this kind of (butterfly?) this year.  Always shows up at night in either the house or the barn.  Can you identify it?
Thank you,
Jordan
Costa Rica

Day Flying Moth, we believe

Nothus lunus

Hi Jordan,
Though it looks like a Swallowtail Butterfly, WE actually believe this is a diurnal moth and not a butterfly, but we haven’t had any luck with its identification.  It reminds us of the Sunset Moth, Urania fulgens.

Update from Julian Donahue
This is a moth in the Neotropical family Sematuridae (one species makes it, rarely, into Arizona). This particular moth goes by a number of names, and a revision of the genus is clearly needed. It is most likely Nothus (= Sematura) lunus (or aegisthus?), which occurs from Mexico to Brazil. There are anywhere from four to 11 recognized species in the genus, which also occurs in the West Indies.
Julian

Update from Karl
Hi Daniel:
This is indeed a moth, Sematura luna (=lunus?), and it looks like it is probably a male (females have a white band down the middle of both wings). The taxonomy is a little confusing as I had trouble determining if luna = lunus, or if they are closely related species or subspecies. My favourite Costa Rican reference (Mariposas de Costa Rica) uses S. luna, South American references seem to use S. lunus. It belongs to the relatively small and poorly understood family Sematuridae (subfamily Sematuerinae), which has approximately 40, mostly neotropical species. They belong to the superfamily Geometroidea, along with the Uraniidae and Geometridae families. Although they resemble the large diurnal Uraniid moths, most Sematurids are nocturnal, Sematura sp. included. They are sometimes called Eyetails, for obvious reasons. Regards.
Karl

Posted 07 October 2009 § ‡ Comments (0) °

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