Looking at close-up pictures of moths, you’ll notice that their feelers saw-edged or look like fishbones. The primary way that butterflies and moths differ is by the shape of their antennae. Moth antennae (left) vs butterfly antennae (right) There are only a few species of rare moths that flutter around during daylight. Butterflies typically rest with their wings pointing upward.Īnother characteristic of all moths-not just furry ones-is that they are active at night. The wings may cover their body when they are resting, or they could be outstretched at their sides. Typically, when moths land on objects, they lay their wings flat, parallel to the ground. You can identify moths by their four wings. Antennae can be long and thin or short and wide, depending on the species. Most fuzzy moths have feelers with tooth-like or saw-like edges that give the antennae a ragged feathery appearance. To identify a moth species, look at the type of antennae. Moths are typically easy to identify at night because they are attracted to light. These moths are primarily nocturnal.Moths can be identified by their feathery antennae, nocturnal activity and holding their wings parallel to the ground when restingįuzzy moths are identified by their antennae, wings, and nocturnal activity. This moth was found on a lamppost on the lawn, where it was likely attracted the previous night. The adults never feed-they retain all their energy from what they ate as a caterpillar. At dusk the next day, the females begin laying eggs on the underside of the leaves of the host plant. The females release pheromones, which the males pick up with their antennae. When it is the right time, the adult moths emerge in the late afternoon and mate in the late evening. The trend here is that the moths emerge in the warm season, and how long the warm season is influences how many broods are born. There is one brood in the north that emerges and mates in May-August, and two broods in the south from April-September, and as many as three broods in the deep south from March-October. The pupae are dark and elongated, with small spines. At the end of their 5th instar, they climb down the tree and pupate in shallow underground chambers. During the next two instars, the caterpillars mainly feed alone. During the first three instars (a developmental stage, marked by a moult), the caterpillars feed in groups, massed on the leaves of their host plant. In about two weeks, the eggs hatch, and the caterpillars begin feeding gregariously on their host plant. The fully grown caterpillar can reach the length of 5 cm.Īdult female moths lay clutches of 10-30 eggs on the underside of the leaves of a host plant, normally maple or oak. It has two large black horns on its second segment, and smaller horns on its lateral sides all down its body. The caterpillar, often called the Green-Striped Mapleworm, is, as the name implies, green with pale blue-green stripes. Their heads and bodies are typically furry and yellow their antennae and legs are red-pink and the former are feathery. Moths with very few pink markings are classified as the subspecies alba, and usually occur in Missouri. Their coloration, however, is extremely variable in some the wings may be pink with small slivers of yellow in others the pink markings may be less noticeable, or even gone. Their wings are creamy yellow or white, with rosy pink markings on the margins and bases of the wings. rubicunda have a wing span of 3.4-5.2 cm. They are present across much of eastern North America, extending north into Quebec, south into mid-Florida and the Gulf Coast, and as far west as Texas. Rosy Maple Moths, although relatively common here, are one of the more beautiful moths in this area.
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