I Have A Question About Tolype Moths; They Have A Spot Of Curly, Wiry Hairs On Their Back. What Is It?

i have a question about tolype moths; they have a spot of curly, wiry hairs on their back. what is it? i tried to look it up and only found one person claiming females tore it off to protect eggs but they didnt sound confident. is it soft?

Hi! So sorry for the late reply.

The females do in fact use scales (hair) from their thoraxes to cover their eggs. However, I can’t find if they specifically use the dark hairs on their back. They may also use the white hair on their front or a mix of both, but I can’t find a source that specifies.

I also can’t find if the dark scales are soft, but I would avoid touching them as the caterpillars of the large tolype moth are covered poisonous spines. It is unclear if the adult moth has any toxins but it’s better to be safe than sorry!

Hope this helped! :]

Moth of the Week

Dew Moth

Setina irrorella

Photo credit

The dew moth is a part of the family Erebidae. It was first described in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus. It is thought to have gotten its common name from how the moth hangs from a blade of grass or a leaf when resting during the day. This gives it a transparent look.

Description This species’s wings can vary in colour from cream to yellow. The forewing has 3 lines of black dots across it with the hindwing usually having only one black dot. The underside of the forewing is gray with a yellow margin. The body is black with yellow or black legs.

There are many found variations of this moth:

signata Borkh. - the middle rows of spots are connected by streaks

ab. fumosa Sandb. - has brownish ground colour; found in the north, but also found in Germany.

flavicans Bdv. - has brighter deep yellow wings and the apex of the abdomen is yellow; found in the Mediterranean and Anterior Asia.

nickerli Rebel - paler yellow, the forewing slightly dulled with the exception of the clearer yellow inner margin; found in the Alps and Northern Europe.

andereggi H.-Schiff. - has dark veins on the forewings, appearing like rays; found in the high Alps, and in the higher North.

riffelensis Fall. - considerably smaller, the ground colour is slightly dulled, the black vein-streaks are more numerous, especially the costa and median veins strongly sooty black; found in the high Alps, especially abundant above Zermatt.

lata Christ. - larger with broader wings and paler with very few markings, the hindwing often quite without markings; found in Russia over North Siberia to Kamtschatka.

insignata Stgr., - quite similar to the preceding, but with narrower wings. The forewing also with very few dots, and hindwing without any; found in East Siberia.

Wingspan Range: 27 – 33 mm (≈1.06 - 1.30 in)

Forewing Range: 11 – 18 mm (≈0.43 - 0.71 in)

Diet and Habitat The larva of this moth eat only lichen.

This moth is found in the Palearctic region. Its range starts from Ireland, then spreads south through Europe and east to northern and Central Asia. It can be found in countries such as Siberia, Kamchatka, Chukotka, and northern Mongolia. This species can even live in the limestone Alps up to 2,000 meters above sea level. However, it can not be found in the high north and parts of the Mediterranean region.

It prefers to live in mossy and lichen-covered rock corridors, on chalky and sandy areas and steep, rocky sparse grasslands, rocky coasts, shingle beaches, and calcareous grassland inland. It can also be found in bogs, forest meadows, and on heaths.

Mating Depending on location, this moth can be seen from May to July. It presumably mates during this time. Generations per year not listed.

Predators Not listed. However, the adult males fly in the afternoon, at dusk, after dark, and at dawn. The females are largely nocturnal. These moths are presumably preyed on by nighttime predators such as bats.

Fun Fact The dew moth has four subspecies:

Setina irrorella irrorella

Setina irrorella freyeri (Nickerl, 1845)

Setina irrorella insignata (Staudinger, 1881)

Setina irrorella mediterranea (Daniel, 1964)

Additionally, dew moth caterpillars do not cocoon in trees or foliage but rather in between stones or rocks.

(Source: Wikipedia, Butterfly Conservation)

Moth of the Week

Latticed Heath

Chiasmia clathrata

The lattice heath is a part of the family Geometridae, first described in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus. Linnaeus however described this moth under the name Phalaena clathrata. This was later changed by Eugen Wehril in 1949 to Semiothisa clathrata tschangkuensis. Then, Malcolm J. Scoble proved it was not in the genus Semiothisa as the Semiothisa species are found only in the Americas. Molecular work has confirmed the this species within the Chiasmia genus.

Description Both the forewings and hindwings are the same color, which can vary from yellow to white depending on the moth. The veins of the wings are traced out in brown and criss crossed by several larger uneven brown lines. This is where the species got its common name “latticed.” The lines vary in thickness to the point some moths’ wings a more almost entirely brown. Close to the edges of the wings are several small brown spots and a brown and white edge on what is called the “outer margin.”

The body and antennae are mottled to match the wings.

Wingspan Range: 20 - 25 mm (≈0.79 - 0.98 in)

Diet and Habitat The larvea of this moth eat hedge bedstraw, yellow bedstraw, clovers, trefoils, lucerne, meadow vetchling, and other legumes. Adult moths do not feed.

This moth is found through Europe and ranges south to the Near East and North Africa and east through Russia, Siberia, northern Iran, Kazakhstan, China, and Korea to Japan. It is very common in the British Isles. It prefers open area habitats such as grassland, moorland, and waste ground.

Mating This species has one to two generations per year in the British Isles. The pupa overwinter and Amadults emerge in May to September.

Predators This moth species is binaural, meaning they fly during the day. However, they are attached to artificial light and can be seen flying at night for these lights. Because of this it is presumable that they are preyed on by birds and bats, two common predators of moths.

Fun Fact This moth has 4 subspecies: Chiasmia clathrata clathrata (Linné), Chiasmia clathrata centralasiae (Krulikowski, 1911), Chiasmia clathrata djakonovi (Kardakoff, 1928), Chiasmia clathrata kurilata (Bryk, 1942).

(Source: Wikipedia)

Moth of the Week

Garden Tiger Moth

Arctia caja

The garden tiger moth or great tiger moth is a moth of the family Erebidae. They were first described in 1758 by Charles Linnaeus. The caterpillars are known as “woolly bears.”

Description The forewings of this moth are brown with white patterning. This white pattern can be missing entirely. The hindwings are orange with black dots which also may vary from moth to moth due to chance and artificial reasons. French entomologist Charles Oberthür discovered about 500 different variation in patterns.

The patterns on the moth’s wings warn predators that they are toxic. The toxin in this species in part contains neurotoxic choline esters which interfere with the acetylcholine receptor.

The head is lined with red over dark brown and has white antennae while the thorax is a matching dark brown. The abdomen matches the hindwings with bright orange fur and black stripes.

Wingspan Range: 45 - 65 mm (1.8 to 2.6 in)

Diet and Habitat This species are called generalists, meaning they eat a wide variety of plants. That are known to eat plants in the Digitalis and Plantago genuses. These plants produce pyrrolizidine alkaloids, a common chemical that causes toxicity in moths. Adult moths eat nectar from flowers and have no observed preference.

They range from the northern United States and Canada to Europe and Northern and Central Asia. In Europe, it goes north until Lapland. They prefer cold, temperate climates and are found in the mountains of Tien Shan (up to an elevation of 3,000 m (9,800 ft)), grasslands, sand dunes, meadows, woodland edges, hedgerows, gardens, and forests. Because this species are generalists in diet, they are not confined to one habitat due to host plant locations.

Mating Females lay around 50 eggs on the underside of host plant leaves. Eggs hatch from August to September when the former generation has died. It has been observed that generations do not overlap.

Predators Adult moths use their wing patterns and colors to warn predators that they are inedible. Their diet allows them to gain toxins including neurotoxic choline esters which interfere with the acetylcholine receptor. The full effects of the toxins are not known. The adults are mostly preyed on by birds and bats. Another way the adults protect themselves from bats is to make noise with their wings which interferes with the bats’ behaviors.

However, several species of endoparasitic flies prey on the species as larva. These include: Carcelia gnava, Carcelia lucorum, Carcelia tibialis, Compsilura concinnata, Exorista fasciatax Exorista grandis, Hubneria affinis, Pales pavida, Thelaira leucozona, Thelaira nigripes, and Thelymorpha marmorata.

The larvas’ defense against outside forces is stinging hairs that cause hives and irritation in mammals, including humans. These hairs are not fatal.

Fun Fact The garden tiger moth has been a protected species since 2007 by the Biodiversity Action Plan in the United Kingdom.

(Source: Wikipedia, Butterfly Conservation, Moth Identification)

Moth of the Week

African Death’s-Head Hawkmoth

Acherontia atropos

The African death's-head hawkmoth is part of the family Sphingidae and is the most widely recognized of the three species of Death’s-Head Hawkmoth. The species was described in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus. Its common name comes from the skull shape on the back of its thorax. It’s binomial name comes from the river Acheron in Greece, which was believed to lead to the Underworld, and the Greek goddess Atropos respectively.

Description The forewings are black/brown with mottled shades of brown while the hindwings are buff orange with two black/brown stripes that curve with the edge of the hindwing. The head and thorax are the same black/brown color as the forewings interrupted by the brown skull on the back of the thorax. The abdomen is the same buff color as the hindwings with similar stripes of the same color. There is also a single stripe down the center of the abdomen called the “dorsal stripe.”

Average Wingspan: 13 cm (5 in)

Females are large than males with a rounded abdomen tip and larger, thicker antennae

Males have a pointed abdomen tip

Diet and Habitat Larva of this species mainly eat the leaves of potato plants which have alkaloids. The larva accumulate these toxins to become unpalatable to predators. Adults eat the nectar of flowers and stolen honey from the beehives of the Western Honey Bee. They are able to mimic the scent of bees and steal the honey undetected. They use their proboscis, a tube used to drink nectar and honey, to break the honey comb.

Their ranges stretches from the Middle East, as far south as the southern tip of Africa, as far north as southern Great Britain, as far east as India and western Saudi Arabia, and as far west as the Canary Islands and Azores. It is known to move into western Eurasia, but a majority do not survive the winter.

Mating This moth has multiple generations per year. In Africa, the broods are continuous. In the northern range, the larva overwinter in the pupal stage. Eggs are laid singly on the underside of species in mainly Solanaceae but also Physalis, Verbenaceae, Cannabaceae, Oleaceae, Pedaliaceae and others.

Predators This moth can emit a special squeak noise by sucking in air to vibrate a flap in its mouth and throat. The purpose of this squeak is unclear, but the two hypotheses are it is to scare away predators or to mimic the sound of a queen bee makes for the workers to stop moving to easier raid beehives for honey. They are also immune to bee venom and can mimic the scent of bees.

Fun Fact This moth has appeared many times in pop culture as symbols of death and evil:

It appeared in The Hireling Shepherd, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Un Chien Andalou, the promotional marquee posters for The Silence of the Lambs, in the music video to Massive Attack's single, "Butterfly Caught,” and on the American edition's cover of José Saramago's novel Death with Interruptions.

It is mentioned in Susan Hill's Gothic horror novel I'm the King of the Castle and John Keats’s "Ode to Melancholy.”

It is referred to in The Mothman Prophecies.

Finally, the moth is used as a calling card by the serial killer Buffalo Bill. However, in the movie script they are referred to under a different species of death’s-head hawkmoths.

(Source: Wikipedia, Simple English Wikipedia)

Moth of the Week

Drinker

Euthrix potatoria

The drinker moth is of the family Lasiocampidae. It was described and named in 1758 by Carl Linneaus. Linneaus chose the species name potatoria as it means ‘drinker-like.’ Dutch entomologist Johannes Goedaert had previously called the moth dronckaerdt, meaning ‘drunkard,’ “because it is very much inclined to drinking” or because this moth repeatedly puts its head into water. The common name ‘drinker’ comes from the same reason.

Description This moth is distinguishable from other eggar moths by a diagonal line crossing the forewing and two white spots also on the forewing. Males are usually reddish or orangish-brown with yellow patches. Males in East Anglia are often yellowish. Females can be yellow, a pale buff, whitish, or a darker reddish-brown than the males. Male and females also differ in size and antennae shape: females are slight larger than males, and males have fluffier antennae.

Wingspan Range of Fully Grown Drinker: 45–65 mm (≈1.77 - 2.56 in)

Diet and Habitat The caterpillars of this species feed on grasses and reeds in genuses such as Alopecurus, Deschampsia, Dactylis, Elytrigia, Carex, Luzula, and other Gramineae. A few examples are Cat grass (Dactylis glomeratus), Common Reed (Phragmites australis), Reed Canary-grass (Phalaris arundinacea), and Wood Small-reed (Calamagrostis epigejos).

In the spring, they feed mainly at night and can be found resting on low vegetation during the day. The larva also supposedly drink morning dew because it had been observed to repeatedly put its head in water.

This moth can be found in Europe. It is common throughout England and Ireland but tends to favor western Scotland over eastern Scotland. It prefers habitats of marshy places such as fens, riversides, tall and damp grassland, marshes, damp open woodland, scrub, and ditches. However this species does sometimes live in drier habitats such as grassy terrain and urban gardens.

Mating Adults can been seen between July and August and presumably mate during this time. There is only one generation per year. Eggs are laid mainly on the stems of grasses or reeds in small clusters.

Predators Adult moths fly at night and are presumably preyed on by nocturnal predators such as bats.

Fun Fact Both sexes of the drinker moth are attracted to light, but males are especially susceptible.

(Source: Wikipedia, Butterfly Conservation)