Noctuid Moths & Tiger Moths

Hypena bijugalis, Dimorphic Bomolocha

Hypena madefactalis, Gray-edged Bomolocha

Hypena palparia, the Mottled Bomolocha

"Ya, okay, umm these are just a bunch of dull brown moths". Oh, then we must be talking about the Noctuidae, the Owlet Moths. This is the group responsible for such comments.  Butterflies and Moths are the second largest group of insects in the world. The largest family in the order are the Noctuids. Some of our worst agricultural pests are in this group, and known as Cutworms. If you work with the family, you'll find out not all of them are plain.

An example of a more highly patterned species is Paectes oculatrix, the Eyed Paectes.

Another genus in the family is Acronicta. This is Acronicta lepusculina, the Cottonwood Dagger Moth. The larvae feed on Cottonwood, Aspen, and Birch. During the day the adults remain hidden on the light colored bark of the very same trees.

Like Prominent moths, some Noctuids break up their outline with tufts of hair. This is Allagrapha aerea, the Unspotted Looper. In the right light, the colors reflect an iridescent coppery bronze.

One of those colorful members of the family is the Beautiful Wood-Nymph, Eudryas grata. Not only is the color pattern nice, but the legs are covered in oversized bundles of fur. Notice the smooth green line bordering the red edge. If that line was wavy, this would be the similar species, the Pearly Wood-Nymph.

Among many moth collectors I've known, the Underwings, or Catocala are their favorite group. Most of the Underwings appear in late summer. Their upper wings have patterns that match tree bark. They could be literally right in front of your nose, and you'll miss them. This is Catocala serena.

If startled, they will flash their bright hind wings to a predator, confusing them just long enough to make an escape. Underwing Moths, like Sphinx Moths do feed as adults. They love nectar, but will seek out wounds in trees where the sap is running. Spreading a combination of fermented fruit and stale beer on tree trunks makes quite the concoction for "baiting" these moths in.

Catocala moths are hard to sneak up on. They have large eardrums on their abdomen of all places. One snap of a twig with your foot, and they're gone. This is why you set out bait for them. After drinking so much liquid, they just fall to the ground and flop around. Either that or they're just plain drunk! This one is Catocala nebulosa, the Clouded Underwing.

I stick this picture in for one reason only. If you plan to do insects to the species level, it's almost A MUST to create a series of specimens to compare with. The Underwings, like Skipper Butterflies, and Micro Moths are so similar, misidentifications can become a problem.

Oh My! We're not in Kansas anymore Toto. No more dull looking moths. When you come across a group of highly spotted and striped moths, you are probably looking at the Arctiidae, the Tiger Moth family. The first is the St. Lawrence Tiger of Canada, followed by two southern species, the Bella Moth and the Polka-dotted Oleander Moth of Florida.

One of the larger species in our area is Grammia virgo, the Virgin Tiger Moth.

Not until it opens its wings can you see just how brightly colored this species is. Many Tiger Moths are foul tasting and openly fly during the day. They don't fear being eaten. After a predator has tried one and gotten sick, they avoid any bright patterned moths like this.

Virbia laeta, the Joyful Holomelina is another that shows that red and black serves as a warning coloration. Even at night the tiger moths have a method of predator avoidance. When bats chase after them, tigers send clicking noises back to the bat as a warning not to eat them.

The Milkweed Tiger Moth, Euchaetes egle, is another one with warning coloration. It may not have colorful patches or stripes, but those spots on the body tell us it's a Tiger Moth. What makes this moth so nasty tasting is the food plant the larvae feed on.

Here is the caterpillar of the above moth. It too has its own warning colors. They feed on Milkweeds, which contain alkaloid poisons that they themselves are immune to.

It may not be striped, but what has spots and is related to a Tiger? How about a Leopard Moth, Hypercompe scribonia. The body is a metallic blue dotted with yellow. Notice how the wings look worn at the edges. Leopard moths often hatch with incomplete scales, and it's unusual to find one in perfect condition.

The wings are metallic red, the abdomen iridescent black, and all parts of the moth are sprinkled with a sky blue powdering. This is the Spotted Oleander Moth, Empyreuma affinis. Like the Polka Dot Moth pictured earlier, it feeds on the poisonous shrub Oleander. This is a tropical species that migrated into south Florida years ago. It was restricted to the extreme southern counties, but because Oleander is such a popular landscape plant, the range of this moth is steadily spreading northward in Florida.

Sphinx Moths & Prominent Moths

Closely related to the Noctuid Moths are the Prominents or Notodontidae. Most members are dull and not very colorful. Their patterns are interesting though, and they are masters of camouflage. Prominent moths have tufts of hair and scales throughout the body or wings that break up their pattern, like this Elegant Prominent, Odontosia elegans.

Moths in the genus Oligocentria and Schizura tend to roll their wings around the body and appear like twigs on a tree branch. This is Oligocentria lignicolor, the White-streaked Prominent.

Another example of how the pattern is broken up around the head area.   This is the White-headed Prominent, Symmerista albifrons. There are several look alike species with this pattern. You have to brush away the scales from the genitalia to be sure which you have. Enough said about that.

The resting position of moths in the genus Datana look like broken twigs or dead leaves. It appears the head has been cut off, but it's there, simply tucked down below.

The Sphingidae family, known as Sphinx Moths, Hawk Moths, or Clearwing Moths, are much more recognizable than the Prominents. At rest their shape is triangular. They have long torpedo like bodies, and narrow boomerang shaped wings. Some say the shape is like a jet fighter plane. Hawkmoths are also some of the fastest fliers. The caterpillars in this family are known as Hornworms. The above species is a Pawpaw Sphinx, Dolba hyloeus.

Another example of the triangular shape. The more you see these, the easier they are to recognize as a group. Not all of them have bright colors. This is the Waved Sphinx, Ceratomia undulosa, and is probably the second most common one in our area.

So what is our most common? By far the Hog Sphinx, Darapsa myron. It feeds on Virginia Creeper, of which there is plenty around. I mentioned in my last post the problem of taking photos at night. You can see the difference as the first one is with the sheet light only, and the second with camera flash.

There is a group of Sphinx Moths with eye spots on the hind wings. Five of them in particular. They are easily separated, even if you can't see the spots. This is the Blind-eyed Sphinx, Paonias excaecatus.

Here is the prize Alex and I were searching for this past weekend at Waterloo Wildlife Area, the Hydrangea Sphinx, Darapsa veriscolor. I have found this moth only twice in my life, both times at Waterloo. It feeds on Wild Hydrangea, a very common plant, yet this moth is not very common anywhere in Ohio, so I am told.

Other than photographs, the vast majority of geographical distribution data on insects has been gathered by examining museum and personal collections. I should also mention collecting on state wildlife areas requires permission. As a member of the Ohio Lepidopterists, we use a blanket collecting permit for all wildlife areas.

Perhaps best known to flower gardeners are the Clearwing members of the family. This is Hemaris thysbe, the Hummingbird Moth. It's commonly found nectaring on flowers during the day or at dusk. They are called Clearwings because portions of the wings contain no colorful scales, and yes, they are often mistaken for hummingbirds.

Similar in appearance is another species sometimes called the Snowberry Clearwing, Hemaris diffinis.  I prefer the common name Bumblebee Sphinx. It doesn't have the red markings of the previous species, but is primarily black and yellow.

Silk Moths, Neuroptera, and other Night Time Insects

While I post a lot of wildflower pictures, insects are my thing. So it's about time you got to know the 'real me'. In the next couple of weeks I will be posting on my special interest, MOTHS. First I want to mention I have a lot to learn about taking photos at night. When competing with a 200 watt mercury vapor light, depth of field becomes a real nightmare! I took 600 pictures this past weekend, most of which did not come out in focus.

You can see what I mean by looking at this Grapevine Looper, Eulithis diversilineata. Not all of the insect remained in perfect focus, but I've stated before, I'm not here to impress people with my technique, it still leaves something to be desired as they say. My purpose is to educate and interpret the natural world, so enjoy without being too critical.

One of the problems photographing on a dirty white sheet is the light reflection, the flash often doesn't know what to do. Another way to say that is I don't know what to do :)

This is a Fishfly, Chauliodes pectinicornis. They are members of the order Neuroptera, or nerve-wing insects. Aquatic entomologists put these in their own order, the Megaloptera, but us terrestrial folks keep them in Neuroptera. The other genus of fishflies is Neohermes, but they have beaded antennae, not thin and feathery like these. Fishflies are often called Dobsonflies by mistake, but they are closely related.

For those who are curious, the real Dobsonfly (Corydalus) is larger and more robust. The males have these unmistakeable huge jaws. The pinchers do not meet, but overlap, so they can not inflict a bite with those.

Another family is the Ascalaphidae, the Owlflies. They are recognized by the clubbed antennae. This is the 4-spotted Owlfly.

Owlflies get their name from the big bulging eyes they have.

Another common member of our woodlands are the Green Lacewings, Chrysopidae. There are many species in Ohio, and to me they all look alike.

An interesting behavior of Lacewings is how the immatures cover themselves with camouflage and hunt up and down leaves and tree trunks.

Braconid Wasp, Macrocentrus sp. female

Ichneumon Wasp, Netelia sp.

Acrotaphus wiltii.

Setting up a light and sheet brings in plenty of insects. Wherever there is an insect gathering, you can bet the parasitic wasps will be there. There are many families of parasitics, but the two largest are the Braconids and Ichneumons. These two families comprise at least 5,000 species in North America, so getting them to species level is not easy.

Both families attack other insects by piercing the body and laying eggs inside their host. When Ichneumons are ready to hatch into adults, the larvae bore out right through the body, like a scene from the movie Alien. Many Braconids on the other hand tend to spin cocoons on the outside, like these on a Hornworm caterpillar.

No these are not oversized feet, but another example of a parasitized caterpillar.

Unlike the Dobsonfly above, you don't want to get your fingers stuck in the jaws of a Stag Beetle, ouch!

Kids always find the big beetles cool when they fly in. This is a Prionus Beetle, Orthosoma brunneum. They are members of the Long-horned Beetle family.

Obviously night time photography is enhanced when you can get critters like this Scudderia Katydid to move away from the white sheet.

Crawling in the grass was this very unusual Hemiptera. The body is inflated like that of a balloon. That is because it is a pregnant female Assassin Bug that doesn't have wings. It's called Stenopoda spinulosa. The adult males look nothing like this, which is why I needed help getting a name on this.

Here's an order of insects often missed by people. Microcoryphia, or Jumping Bristletails. Once lumped with Silverfish, they are now in their own order. The three caudal cerci are usually of equal length in Silverfish, but the center one in Bristletails is longer, and they can jump from one place to another. They usually have a large thorax or hump on their back that makes them different also. Look for them on rocky outcrops and decaying wood.

Now for a few silk moths. One of the most common is the Polyphemus. Named after the one eyed giant of Greek mythology, they can be either be a dark chocolate brown or a bright orange-pink. They are the second or third largest of all the moths in Ohio.

In the Silk Moths, the male has a very wide feathery antennae. This is used to pick up the pheromone scent of the female.

Here's the caterpillar feeding on Oak, just one of the many food plants of Polyphemus.

What's he doing, sleeping? Caterpillars have pro-legs that allow them to attach to twigs, but like all insects, you can see they have six true legs up front.

Automeris io, the IO Moth. The common name is just two letters IO, it also comes from Greek mythology stories. Very common, the all yellow is the male, and the brown winged one is a female.

The caterpillar is green and spiny, with a red and white stripe on the side. They can inflict quite a sting.

The Imperial Moth, Eacles imperialis. A very showy species, the females are larger than males, and almost approach the Cecropia in size. The pattern is generally the same on this species, but rarely will you ever find any two moths that are exactly marked the same.

As with many species in this family, the larvae are robust. Imperial caterpillars can be recognized by the hairy body and four short horns on the back.

Smaller in size are the Oakworms. This is Anisota virginiensis, the Pink-striped Oakworm. There are five species of these in Ohio. Fairly easy to separate, especially with females like this, but the males appear totally different in markings and look similar.

I thought mullets went out with the bath water. One of the 'cutest' of the silk moths is the small but colorful Rosy Maple Moth, Dryocampa rubicunda. All the silk moths mentioned above are found throughout Ohio. They do not feed as adults. They hatch, mate, and die within a week.

Not all Rosy Maple Moths have pink and yellow wings. In the "alba" form, they are usually just plain white or yellow. Touch this moth and they will often curl their body and fall to the ground playing dead.