Best Erebid
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The white witch (Thysania agrippina) is a giant Neotropical moth belonging to the erebid family. It’s notable for its exceptionally large wingspan, often exceeding 28 centimeters – a record among moths. This species is primarily found in Central and South America. Entomologists, lepidopterists, and...
The Black Witch (Ascalapha odorata) is a massive migratory moth belonging to the Noctuidae family, commonly known as erebids. It’s the largest noctuoid moth found in North America, reaching impressive sizes. This American species is particularly notable due to its substantial wingspan and distinctiv...
The Clifden nonpareil is a large European moth belonging to the *Catocala* genus. It’s notable for its striking blue and black coloration on its hindwings, making it one of the largest moths in Europe. Primarily found across continental Europe, this species occasionally appears as a rare visitor in...
The vampire moth, *Calyptra thalictri*, is a unique Asian moth belonging to the erebidae family. Notably, male moths possess specialized proboscises capable of piercing skin and feeding on vertebrate blood. This behavior primarily affects humans and small animals. Researchers studying insect physiol...
North American moth (Pyrrharctia isabella) whose woolly bear larva became famous in folklore as a supposed predictor of winter severity based on its band coloring.
The scarlet-bodied wasp moth (Cosmosoma myrodora) is a Florida-native clearwing moth that mimics wasps in appearance and uses pyrrolizidine alkaloids gathered from plants as a chemical courtship gift to females.
The dark crimson underwing (Catocala sponsa) is a scarce oak-woodland noctuid of southern Europe and southern England, notable for its deep crimson hindwings.
The red underwing (Catocala nupta) is a British noctuid moth that conceals vivid red-and-black hindwings beneath cryptic bark-patterned forewings as a startle defence.
The cream-spot tiger (Epicallia villica) is a boldly patterned European arctiid with black-and-white forewings and orange-red hindwings bearing black spots, occurring in southern England and across continental Europe.
The wood tiger (Arctia plantaginis) is a Holarctic moth notable for extreme geographic variation in hindwing coloration, making it a model organism for studies of warning coloration and polymorphism in the UK and Scandinavia.
The yellow-collared scape moth (Cisseps fulvicollis) is a North American day-flying moth that mimics distasteful insects with its dark wings and orange-yellow collar, and whose larvae feed on grasses and lichens.
The black arches, Lymantria monacha, is a Palaearctic moth described by Linnaeus in 1758 and regarded as a forest pest of spruce and pine.
The ruby tiger (Phragmatobia fuliginosa) is a widespread Holarctic moth with dark brown forewings and vivid red hindwings, found across Europe and Asia with larvae feeding on low plants such as plantain and dandelion.
Granny's cloak moth, Speiredonia spectans, is an Australian erebid described by Guenee in 1852, with a 70 mm wingspan and Acacia-feeding larvae.
The rosy footman (Miltochrista miniata) is a small European moth with distinctive orange-pink forewings patterned with black spots, whose larvae feed on lichens on tree trunks and old wooden fences.
The dogbane tiger moth (Cycnia oregonensis) is a white North American arctiid whose adults produce ultrasonic clicks to jam bat echolocation, a well-studied example of acoustic anti-predator defense.
The pale tussock (Calliteara pudibunda) is a European moth in family Erebidae whose larvae bear conspicuous yellow tufts of hair and feed on a wide range of deciduous trees including hop, earning it the folk name 'hop dog'.
The banded tiger moth (Apantesis vittata) is a North American arctiid moth recognized by its bold black-and-yellow forewing stripes and red hindwings, which warn predators of its chemical defenses.
The clouded buff (Diacrisia sannio) is a European moth with strong sexual dimorphism—males are orange-yellow, females paler—and flies by day on heathlands and moorlands across northern and central Europe.
The buff footman, Katha depressa, is a European and Asian lichen moth described by Esper in 1787, with larvae feeding on lichens and algae.
North American arctiid moth (Apantesis virgo) with bold black-and-white forewings and red hindwings; one of several similar Apantesis species across eastern North America.
The four-spotted footman (Lithosia quadra) is Europe's largest footman moth, with females displaying distinctive black-and-yellow spotted forewings; larvae feed on lichens and algae on tree bark across woodland habitats.
The buff ermine (Spilosoma lutea) is a widespread European moth in family Erebidae distinguished from the white ermine by its warm buff-yellow forewings, active from May to August across hedgerows and gardens.
North American tiger moth (Apantesis phalerata) with distinctive yellow and black forewing patterns resembling a harness; larvae feed on low-growing herbaceous plants.
The orange footman (Eilema sororcula) is a European erebid moth with uniform orange-buff wings, one of the smaller footman species, associated with oak woodland where larvae feed on lichens and algae.
The white ermine (Spilosoma lubricipeda) is a common European moth with white wings spotted black, whose hairy larvae are known as 'woolly bears' and feed on a broad range of low-growing herbaceous plants.
The red-necked footman (Atolmis rubricollis) is a European moth in family Erebidae named for its scarlet-orange thorax contrasting with dark grey wings, whose larvae feed on algae and lichens on tree bark.
The common fruit-piercing moth, Eudocima phalonia, is a tropical erebid described by Linnaeus in 1763 and a major pest of fruit crops.
