Moths

Female wingless geometer moth (family Geometridae) from Iowa.

Female wingless geometer moth (family Geometridae) from Iowa.

A unique white moth with orange legs from Monteverde, Costa Rica.

Epia muscosa (Bombycidae) from Belize.

Erebid moth, Symphlebia sp (Erebidae: Arctiinae) from Monteverde, Costa Rica.

Moth from Belize, possibly a silkworm moth (Bombycidae).

Portrait of a sphinx moth, family Sphingidae, from Belize.

Unidentified moth from Belize.

Grass moth (Acentropinae: Petrophila sp.) from Monteverde, Costa Rica.

Unidentified moth from Belize.

Cryptic dead leaf-imitating moth (Saturniidae: Oxytenis sp.) from Belize.

A skipper butterfly, family Hesperiidae, feeds on nectar in Belize. Skippers are distinguished from other butterflies by their hook-shaped antennae, as well as their relatively stocky bodies and short wings.

Saturniid moth, Periphoba arcaei, from Belize.

Grass moth (Crambidae) from Belize, possibly Pantographa sp.

Grass moth (Crambidae: Acentropinae: Petrophila sp.) from Belize.

A female wasp-mimicking Tiger Moth (Arctiidae: genus Ceryx) lays her eggs on the underside of a palm tree leaf in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Hummingbird Moth, family Sphingidae, from Monteverde, Costa Rica.

Mating Tubeworm Moths - Acrolophidae: possibly Acrolophus sp., from Monteverde, Costa Rica.

Emerald moth (Geometrinae) from Monteverde, Costa Rica.

This moth from Costa Rica does an outstanding impression of a splintered piece of wood. (Heterodelta nea, Noctuidae: Hadeninae)

Possibly Pyralidae, from Costa Rica.

Another lovely Erebid moth, Gonodonta bidens (Erebidae), from Monverde, Costa Rica.

Pyralid moth, Pyralidae: Epipaschiinae, with excellent jungle camouflage. (Monteverde, Costa Rica)

Grass moth (Crambidae: Sparagmia gonoptera) from Costa Rica. To my eye, it appears to be imitating a damaged leaf, complete with chew marks.

Pluto sphinx, Xylophanes pluto, from Costa Rica.

Sphinx moth (Sphingidae: Xylophanes cf. ceratomioides) from Monteverde, Costa Rica.

A very large moth (Erebidae: Thysania sp.) from Costa Rica.

Mossy-textured moth (possibly Notodontidae) from Monteverde, Costa Rica.

Gaudy Sphinx Moth, Eumorpha labruscae, from Costa Rica.

Hindwing closeup of Gaudy Sphinx Moth, Eumorpha labruscae, from Costa Rica.

A well-camouflaged prominent moth (Notodontidae: Dioptinae: probably Polypoetes sp.) from Monteverde, Costa Rica.

Footman Moth, Procalypta victorina, from Monteverde, Costa Rica.

Sack-bearing moth (Mimallonidae: Lacosoma, possibly an undescribed species), so named for the open-ended casings in which their larvae overwinter. (Monteverde, Costa Rica)

Plume moth (Pterophoridae) from Montverde, Costa Rica. Members of this family are relatively easy to identify thanks to their unique T-shaped profile.

A very perky grass moth (Crambidae: possibly genus Lineodes) from Monteverde, Costa Rica.

Erebid moth (Erebidae: Arctiinae. probably Eucereon tigrata) from Monteverde, Costa Rica.

Wood-mimicking moth (Notodontidae: genus Nystalea) from Monteverde, Costa Rica.

Sphinx moth (Sphingidae) from Monteverde, Costa Rica.

Saturniid moth, Eacles sp. (Costa Rica). This genus of large moths is superbly camouflaged against decaying leaf litter.

Scape Moth (Arctiinae: genus Idalus) from Monteverde, Costa Rica.

Grass moth, Crambidae, from Monteverde, Costa Rica.

Lappet Moth - Lasiocampidae, genus Artace (Monteverde, Costa Rica).

Sphinx moth (Sphingidae) from Monteverde, Costa Rica.

Cryptic moth (Bombycidae: Naprepa houla) from Costa Rica.

Saturniid moth (Saturniidae: Lonomia sp.) from Monteverde, Costa Rica.

Firefly-mimicking moth (Arctiidae: Lithosiinae: Rhabdatomis sp.) from Costa Rica. Why mimic a firefly? Because some of them (Lampyridae, actually beetles) contain a potent class of toxins called lucibufagins and so are avoided by many predators - thus, the moth reaps the benefits of decreased predation without actually being toxic.

Wasp-mimicking tiger moth, Isanthrene felderi (Arctiidae), from Monteverde, Costa Rica. This remarkable mimicry is established with yellow and black warning coloration, falsely "membranous" wings, and wasp-like antennae - a very convincing combination.

Not all moths try to blend in; some are rather boldly patterned, like this Josiomorpha species (Arctiini) from Monteverde, Costa Rica.

Moss-mimicking Prominent Moth (Notodontidae) from Monteverde, Costa Rica.

Erebid moth (Erebidae: Gonodonta sp.) from Monteverde, Costa Rica.