Subject: Moth identification
Geographic location of the bug: Costa Rica, pacific side, in the mountians
Date: 01/27/2018
Time: 11:02 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: Hello Bugman. Came across this awesome Critter in Costa Rica at first it look like a strange furry cicada but after having him walk on my hand I do believe he was a moth?
How you want your letter signed: Kat
Dear Kat,
We believe this is a Wood Moth or Carpenter Moth in the family Cossidae, but we have not had any luck locating a definitive matching image online with a species identification. We did locate this similar looking individual on FlickR and Butterflies and Moths of North America has some similar looking but not exact images on their site where it states: “Adults are robust and heavy-bodied, and are typically nocturnal, drab, and mostly gray with black markings. Females are often much larger than males. Eggs are usually laid in crevices or under bark with an extensible ovipositor, and may be produced in vast numbers. Larvae bore into branches or trunks of living shrubs or trees, sometimes causing considerable damage, and require 1 to 4 years to mature.” Perhaps one of our readers will have better luck than we have had.