A worldwide community photographing and learning about wildlife
Project Noah Nature School
Desmia funeralis
The adult is a very dark brown, almost black, moth with a wingspread of about 1 inch. The front wings each have two white spots. The hindwings of the female also have two white spots, while those of the male have only one large white spot. There are two white bands across the abdomen. The male antennae are thickened and distorted in the center; the female antennae are smooth. Young larvae have a pale yellow green, translucent appearance but when they begin to feed the ingested leaf tissue gives them a bright green color.
Adults are on wing from May to September. It is a day-flying species. There are two to three generations per year. The larvae feed on Grape Vines, Eastern Redbuds, Evening –primrose and Virginia Creeper. It is considered a minor pest of grapes in the United States.
This poor little guy was found dead on my kitchen floor. There was no reason for him to be there; there are plenty of wild grape vines, redbuds and Virginia creeper outside. Thank you ornithoptera80 for the ID!
Excellent one!! Good ID, since you cannot separate Funeralis and Maculalis from only a dorsal picture. So, the additional info about the underside and measurements are very helpful for that ID! Good job, both of you!!
Spotted on Jun 24, 2019
Submitted on Jun 24, 2019
