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Melittia cucurbitae, (Harris, 1828)
It is a small diurnal Sessidae moth in the genus (Melittia). The moth has big fuzzy legs covered in black and orange scales. The forewings are has blackish green metallic colors while the hindwings are transparent. The abdomen is orange with some black spots. The thorax and head are just like the forewings. The other legs are also black and orange but not so hairy.
Suburban, Fort Worth, Texas. Found flying at 11:00 am. around Melon vines about to lay eggs. They also like feeding on Squash and others that are related to squash.
The distribution is Parts of North America except the Pacific Coast. This species is often misidentified as a Sphinx moth, (Sphingidae) because of the speed and way it feeds from flowers. I think the one I found was a female because of the tip of the abdomen being slender and not having scent patches. Moth Week.
Spotted on Jul 15, 2020
Submitted on Jul 22, 2020
2 Comments
Thank you SukanyaDatta.
Very handsome, moth.