Virginian Tiger Moth

Spilosoma virginica

The Virginian Tiger Moth is a fluffy, white moth with beautiful orange and black spots. It loves to fly around at night and is often seen in gardens and fields.

Lebensraum: Urban areas

Aussehen

The Virginian Tiger Moth is primarily pure white with a fuzzy body. It often has small, scattered black spots on its wings. Its vibrant abdomen is yellowish-orange with distinct rows of black dots.

ReichAnimaliaStammArthropodaKlasseInsectaOrdnungLepidopteraFamilieErebidaeGattungSpilosoma

Virginian Tiger Moth

Kategorie

Insekten

Seltenheit

Common

Gefahr

1/5 · Sehr gering

Snaps

Mach den ersten Snap!

Interessante Fakten

Adult Virginian Tiger Moths don't have mouths to eat; they live off stored energy!

Its fluffy caterpillar, called a "woolly bear," loves to munch on over 100 plant types!

Some Virginian Tiger Moth caterpillars can change their fur color to match what they eat!

This moth's white wings are perfect camouflage, reflecting moonlight to blend in!

Besondere Fähigkeiten

Virginian Tiger Moth has feathery antennae that are super sensitive, helping it smell mates and navigate in the dark of night.

Virginian Tiger Moth can hear the high-pitched sounds of hunting bats using special organs, helping them quickly dive to avoid being caught.

Maße und Details

Flügelspannweite: 35-45 mm
Größe: 15-20 mm
Lebenserwartung: 5-10 Tage
Anzahl der Beine: 6

Ernährung und Fütterung

Caterpillars are expert plant eaters, munching on a huge variety of leaves!

Altersunterschiede: Adult moths do not feed; they rely on energy stored from their caterpillar stage.

Hauptnahrung

dandelion
plantain
clover
willow
maple
sunflower

Nahrungssuche

Foraging

Ökologische Zusammenhänge

eaten by

Little Brown Bat

Myotis lucifugus

Eats adult moths flying at night.

eaten by

American Robin

Turdus migratorius

Forages for caterpillars and moths.

eats

Common Dandelion

Taraxacum officinale

Caterpillars feed on its leaves.

parasitizes

Tachinid Fly

Archytas apicifer

Lays eggs on or near caterpillars.

Merkmale

Pelzig

Pelzig beschreibt Tiere, die eine dichte Schicht aus weichen Haaren oder Fell besitzen.

Farbenfroh

Farbenfroh beschreibt Organismen oder Objekte, die eine große Vielfalt an leuchtenden und deutlich erkennbaren Farben aufweisen.

Pflanzenfressend

Dieses Merkmal kennzeichnet Lebewesen, deren Ernährung vollständig oder hauptsächlich aus pflanzlichem Material besteht.

Stadtangepasst

Dieses Lebensraummerkmal weist auf Arten hin, die in städtischen und vorstädtischen Umgebungen mit Menschen zusammenleben können und von Menschen geschaffene Strukturen sowie Grünflächen nutzen.