Subject: What is this insect?
Geographic location of the bug: Eno River State Park Durham, NC
Date: 06/16/2019
Time: 04:10 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: Hello,
I came across this insect yesterday. I thought this was a moth, but I cannot find a reference to this anywhere (and I’ve looked at over 700+ insects). It was the color of lichen (a very light green/white). As you can see, there are spikes all over the wings, back, and antennae. Thanks for your input.
How you want your letter signed: Christine Allen
Dear Christine,
We agree that this is probably a Moth, but the reason you are having difficulty with an identification is that the insect has been infested with fungus that has covered its body. There is an image on K.S. Shives site of a different insect with a similar fungus infection. Here is a similar looking image on Nature Picture Library and one on Alamy.
Thank you, Daniel, for helping me with this.
Kind regards,
Christine