Choosing the Bug of the Month each month is an enjoyable ritual, and generally we select a recent letter for the honor. Sadly, we have not received a recent letter that is appropriate since we like to select a critter that our readership is likely to encounter while the letter is posted. We have dug through the archives for a nice image of the Polka Dot Wasp Moth, Syntomeida epilais, a wasp mimic moth that readers from Florida and other southern states often write to us about. The Polka Dot Wasp Moth is not a seasonal sighting, and according to BugGuide, it can be found year round.
The Polka Dot Wasp Moth is also known as the Oleander Moth because one of the favorite larval foods is the deadly oleander. The caterpillars are known as Oleander Caterpillars and readers frequently write about the large numbers of orange caterpillars with black hairs that are defoliating their oleander plants.
Ctenucha cressonana found in Western Illinois (Quad Cities)? Hi!
My son spotted a beautiful moth on our windowpane, so we too a photo of it (attached) and tried to find out what kind of moth it is. When I looked on the Internet the closest moth would be in the Ctenucha family – Orange head, Blue iridescent body, brownish wings. It doesn’t appear that this moth has been recorded in this area (if indeed I was able to identify it correctly) so I am contacting you in efforts to : a.) identify the moth and b) record the siting if this is a ‘first time’ observance. Whatever the outcome, I’d appreciate any feedback so I can work with my son Ivan re: his potential ‘new discovery’. Thanks –
Mary Stayner
Moline , IL
Hi Mary,
You did a very good job of researching your discovery, taking the identification to the genus level. Ctenucha cressonana is a western species. Your moth looks to us like the Virginia Ctenucha, Ctenucha virginica. BugGuide does not list any submissions from Illinois. Ironically, BugGuide does not list submissions from Virginia either. Illinois would be within the range of the Virginia Ctenucha, but as to whether there have been reports from your county, you will need to check with state officials.
Correction: We goofed
Hi again!
I looked a little closer – I think it’s actually a Cisseps fulvicollis. Thanks for your earlier quick response!
Mary Stayner
Hi again Mary,
You caught us in a mistake. BugGuide notes that: “This species and the Virginia Ctenucha are probably Batesian mimics of wasps or perhaps distasteful beetles. Many of these moths were shot feeding on Eupatorium spp., a genus rich in pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) which are toxic to most predators. “
¶ Posted 08 October 2007 § ‡ ° Moth identification
Attached are pics of two moths. Please help me with the identification.
Cory Walters
Grissom ARB, IN
Hi Cory,
When we read your message, we didn’t realize the moths were attached to each other. These mating moths are Yellow Collared Scape Moths, Cisseps fulvicollis. The moths are wasp mimics. BugGuide has additional information.
¶ Posted 26 January 2006 § ‡ ° Tagged: bug love Yellow-collared Scape Moth
Hello Folks, I hope all is well. I am surprised that this late in the year I am still able to discover new insects to photograph. I have seen several moths on your website similar to the yellow- collared scape moth that I found this morning. I did a little internet searching and found out the exact species – am I correct? Take Care,
Janet from Dundas, Ontario
Hi Again Janet,
Your Yellow Collared Scape Moth goes by the scientific name Cisseps fulvicollis. Adults can be found from May through October. They don’t die out until the killing frost.
¶ Posted 14 October 2005 § ‡ ° blue bee?
I was out doing some gardening today and ran into this. This resembles a type of bee in nature. I have seen plain blue ones before (that look like yellow-jackets) but never anything like this. You are not just seeing spots, The wings were jet black with white polka-dots on them. The orange and blue body was magnificent. Any ideas on what this is?
Thanks!
Kathie
Hi Kathie,
As its name implies, the Polka-Dot Wasp Moth is a true moth that mimics a wasp in appearance. The caterpillars feed on oleander.
¶ Posted 12 October 2005 § ‡ ° Psychedelic caterpillars
Hello again. These life jacket orange with metallic blue dots and two long white hairs near the head caterpillars are decimating my stephanotis vine. The pupae are shiny brown and have strands of silk holding them on the leaves. I live in West Palm Beach Florida. Can you identify them?
Enid
Ed. Note: Caterpillars are often difficult to identify, and sadly, we weren’t much help to Enid, but as the following response shows, the caterpillars metamorphosed into a stunning little moth.
(07/19/2005) The psychedelic caterpillar becomes moth
Hello there. Remember the life jacket orange and metallic blue caterpillars? Well, this is what they become and it is called a faithful beauty and they are rare for West Palm Beach. Regards.
Enid
Hi Enid,
Your caterpillar photo was on our back burner, but we couldn’t really identify. Your Moth has a wonderful common name, Faithful Beauty, and the scientific name is Composia fidelissima. It is mostly tropical but does stray into South Florida. Perhaps last year’s hurricanes blew a few moths off course and they liked the climate. Thanks so much for the update.
Unknown Moth
Hello,
I hope you might be able to help us… My son has an insect collection which he is preparing to display at the local County Fair. He has a beautiful moth which we have been unable to identify; we haven’t seen anything like it in any book or online. The closest appears to be perhaps a hawkmoth of some kind. The body is 2 1/2 cm long and the wing length is 3 cm. His body is red with a tufted tip and the wings are mostly clear. My son needs to know the name of it and the Family, and if possible, needs to know by July 10th (Sorry for the short notice…. We tried a few days ago and got a failure notice.)
Thanks so much. (We had several of them at night at our house (in Glen Ellen, CA) over a span of a couple of weeks in October, 2003.)
Loralee
Hi Loralee,
We already have a photo of Edward’s Glassy-wing, Hemihyalea edwardsi, on our butterfly and moth page. The image was sent in last December by Jeffrey in Sacramento. There isn’t much written about this moth. It is a California species and is a member of the Tiger Moth family Arctiidae. It has a close relative that lives in Colorado, Hemihyalea labecula. The chief difference between the two moths is that Edward’s Glassy-wing has pink to crimson margins on the secondary wings.
Thank you so much for a personal and PROMPT reply!! I really doubted we’d find out before his display was due! He’ll be thrilled!! (By the way, he’s only 8, but he LOVES insects, and wants to be an Entomologist when he grows up…)
Loralee
¶ Posted 02 July 2004 § ‡ ° (12/12/2003)
We would like to know what kind of moth this is?? It was found in california in the San Andreas which is 1 1/2 hours SE from Sacramento.
Thank You
Jeffrey
Dear Jeffrey,
You have a species of Arctiidae (Tiger Moths) known as the Edwards’ Glassy-wing, Hemihyalea edwardsi. It is a California species. Sorry I can’t give you any additional information since I can’t locate anything online other than photos and there isn’t much written in the books I have.
Thank you for identifing my moth. That helped allot.
Jeffrey
Thank you Jeffrey, for sending the great photo of you pinning your collection.
¶ Posted 12 December 2003 § ‡ ° 
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