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Green Blotched Moth from Australia

Green-patterned Aussie moth
April 29, 2010
Hello! I have a rather lovely moth for you to look at, and I hope you have better luck identifying it than I have!
I’m writing for a friend who lives somewhere in the southeastern portion of Queensland, Australia who discovered this little moth sitting on her computer screen. She was kind enough to send me a photo since I’m typically pretty good at tracking down an identification. This time, I’ve come up empty handed. icon sad Green Blotched Moth from Australia
Any help solving the mystery would be much appreciated!
An inquiring mind
southeast Queensland, Australia

green moth australia 300x229 Green Blotched Moth from Australia

Unknown Moth

We haven’t the time to research this moth this morning since we must leave for work, but we will post it in the hope that our readership might have some luck.  We would probably start the daunting task of identification by looking through the Owlet Moths in the family Noctuidae on the Australian Moth Website.

Thanks for the site link! A quick browse over it and I believe our mystery moth is an aptly named green blotched moth, cosmodes elegans. What a cute little fellow!

Posted 29 April 2010 § ‡ Comments (1) ° Tagged:
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Polyphemus Moth

what type of moth is this?
April 28, 2010
would you please let me know what type of moth is this?
thanks for you time and help
ohio

polyphemus ohio 300x181 Polyphemus Moth

Polyphemus Moth

The Polyphemus Moth represented in your photograph ranges across the continental United States and Canada from North to South and East to West.

Posted 28 April 2010 § Giant Silk Moths ‡ Comments (0) °

Microlepidoptera from England

Friend or foe?
April 24, 2010
We have a ‘plague’ of these in our vegetable garden which backs on to woodland. They fly when disturbed but seem to prefer to be resting. Really only need to know if they are friend or foe. Their wings shimmer slightly as if covered in fine gold leaf.
Gill Kendrick
Central England

caddisfly england gill 204x300 Microlepidoptera from England

Microlepidoptera

Hi Gill,
At first we thought that this might be a Caddisfly.  According to BugGuide, which only covers North American species, “Adults resemble moths, but wings are hairy instead of scaly.“  We decided to search the UK Moths website though, and we believe we identified your insect as a tiny moth, known as Microlepidoptera, and possibly the species Micropteris calthella which is described on UK Moths as “Wingspan 7-10 mm.  Another tiny species, with a wingspan of around 8 to 10mm, this moth has metallic bronzy forewings, with purplish tinges in places. Like other Micropterix species, it has a tuft of hairs on the head.  It occurs throughout most of Britain, and can be found flying in the daytime in May and June, where it feeds on the pollen of various plants.“  An even closer match might be Eriocrania semipurpurella, which UK Moths describes as “Wingspan 10-16 mm.  The commonest and most widespread of the Eriocrania species that feed on birch, occurring throughout most of Britain.  The adults are difficult to tell apart from E. sangii without reference to the genitalia structure, but the larvae are quite different, semipurpurella being white or yellowish, sangii being quite dark grey.   The larva itself mines in a birch (Betula) leaf, forming a large blotch, from March to May. The adults fly in March and April, especially in sunshine.“  We don’t believe we have the skill to definitively identify this Microlepidoptera, but you might have better luck trying to sort through the 2012 Moth species on the site UKMoths.  Friend or Foe is relative.

Posted 26 April 2010 § Microlepidoptera ‡ Comments (0) °
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Wasp Moth: Possibly Douglas Fir Pitch Moth

What is this? I was told it was Stump F—er
April 25, 2010
What is this? I was told it was Stump F—er
I live in California, this bug was on my floor today, it could fly a little.
Jody
Mill Valley, CA

wasp moth carmenta jody 300x259 Wasp Moth: Possibly Douglas Fir Pitch Moth

Wasp Moth: Douglas Fir Pitch Moth???

Hi Jody,
This is actually a moth in the family Sessiidae, the members of which are commonly called Clearwing Moths or Wasp Moths, and they are very effective mimics of wasps.  The larvae bore in the stems, roots and sometimes trunks of host plants, often causing severe damage if the plant’s ability to transport moisture and nutrients is compromised.  The person who supplied you with the colorful edited common name may be able to point you in the direction of the host plant which may help with a species identification.  We believe your moth is in the genus Carmenta based on images posted to BugGuide and the Moth Photographers Group website.

Thanks for the information. I did ask my friend who has a degree in forestry, what sort of trees this moth likes and he said Oaks, Bay, Fir and Redwood..I have all of those!
Jody

Thanks for the additional information Jody.  We believe your moth looks very similar to the Douglas Fir Pitch Moth, Synanthedon novaroensis, which is pictured on BugGuide and mentioned on the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program UC IPM Online.  A live specimen is picture on the pdf on the University of Washington College of Forest Resources website.  The living specimen pictured on the Moth Photographers Group website is a very close match, and we are relatively confident that you submitted an image of a Douglas Fir Pitch Moth.

Posted 26 April 2010 § Clearwings ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

Cecropia Moth

Moth Identification
April 25, 2010
I need help identifying a very large moth. The moth was found in Asheboro, North Carolina.
Sheryl McIver
North Carolina, Asheboro, Randolph County

cecropia sheryl 300x159 Cecropia Moth

Cecropia Moth

Hi Sheryl,
Your comely moth is a Cecropia Moth, and judging by the shape of the antennae, she is female.  Male Giant Silk Moths have more developed, feathery antennae to better sense the pheromones of the female.  Giant Silk Moth, including your Cecropia Moth, do not feed as adults, and they only live a few days, long enough to mate and lay eggs.

Hi,
Thank you for your response so quickly.  I found it yesterday….kept it overnight so my son and I could observe it (it was raining hard last night, so I didn’t really want to let it go in the hard rain anyway), and now what to do with ALL THESE EGGS!!!  I’ve been searching online and have discovered that the success rate is about 50%.  Is this accurate in your opinion?
Thanks,
Sheryl

Hi Again Sheryl,
We are not certain what you mean by success rate.  Raising 50% of eggs to maturity seems like a phenomenal success rate.  According to BugGuide:  “Larvae feed on leaves of various trees and shrubs including alder, apple, ash, beech, birch, box-elder, cherry, dogwood, elm, gooseberry, maple, plum, poplar, white oak, willow.”

Posted 25 April 2010 § Giant Silk Moths ‡ Comments (0) °

Small Eyed Sphinx

moth with pointy parts
April 24, 2010
This moth was stuck to the screen door. Located in Maryland, about 65 degrees out, partly cloudy day, around 10 am. Photos are included. It had pointy antennae on the head and very interesting wings- very bat-like and leathery. Reddish color. The wings look like bat wings or like 70′s bell bottoms- wide and unusual. I’m a science teacher and this one totally baffled me!
From, Megan (and Buddy the dog in the background)
Damascus, Maryland

small eyed sphinx dog buddy 300x240 Small Eyed Sphinx

Small Eyed Sphinx

Hi Megan,
Your photo is so funny and amusing, we had to post it.  this is a Small Eyed Sphinx, Paonias myops, and you may read more about the species in our archives and on Bill Oehlke’s excellent website.

Posted 24 April 2010 § Hummingbird Moths, Sphinx Moths or Hawk Moths ‡ Comments (0) °

Fairy Moth

Moth? Butterfly? Fly?
April 19, 2010
Hey WTB,
I have an orchard in a rural part of Northern California. This weekend there were probably a hundred of these small black and white butterflies or moths darting around. They have insanely long antenna which seems to make it difficult for them to fly. Can anyone tell me what they are?
Kevin
Near Willits, CA

fairy moth kevin 300x213 Fairy Moth

Fairy Moth

Hi Kevin,
This is a Fairy Moth, probably Adela trigrapha, which may be viewed on BugGuide.

Posted 19 April 2010 § Fairy Moths ‡ Comments (0) °

Luna Moth newly metamorphosed

Large, furry, moth with leaf like wings?
April 19, 2010
My bug loving children squealed for me to grab my camera when they spotted this beautiful gal in the driveway just now. She’s so brightly colored and furry. I’ve never seen anything like this and would love to know if she is a moth. She’s about two inches long. Her wings look like leaves. Her beige antennae are an amazing feathery detail. Her legs are furry and red while her body is white. Any help is appreciated. I tried to get detailed photos to fully capture her beauty.
Resa in Atlanta
Atlanta, GA

luna emerged resa 300x181 Luna Moth newly metamorphosed

Luna Moth

Furry Moth…one more thing…
April 19, 2010
Whoa! I just noticed in my photos that the moth’s wings changed colors from the yellowish on the ground to a bright green when she walked onto the stick. Are they still developing or do they have ninja skills?
Sorry for duping the pics. Seems I can’t just send a whoa revelation without a pic.

luna emerged 2 resa 300x232 Luna Moth newly metamorphosed

Luna Moth

Hi Resa,
Your Luna Moth is freshly metamorphosed, having just emerged from its cocoon.  Its wings are not yet expanded for flight.  That should take a few additional hours, and it should be ready to fly after sunset.

Posted 19 April 2010 § Luna Moth - Rare Specimen ‡ Comments (1) °

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