Vagabond Crambus Moth - Agriphila vulgivagella
Crambid Snout Moths - Hodges #s 4703 - 5509 (Crambidae) / Crambine Snout Moths (Crambinae)
Live adult moths photographed at Churchill Woods, Glen Ellyn Illinois.
 

Vagabond Crambus Moth - Agriphila vulgivagella

Vagabond Crambus Moth - Agriphila vulgivagella

This moth can fool you if you're not careful - you might think, at first glance, that the prominent fuzzed-out palpi at the front of the head are its antennae. It is not known what function this adaptation serves, although it has been speculated the moth uses them to mop up fluids. (Hmmm.)

Closeup detail of those wonderful palpi, green eyes and antennae laid flat against the wings. Legs are held in characteristic moth pose: hidden. There were lots of these moths posing on the grass in a large mown lawn one day in late September. They were obviously relying heavily on their camouflage; they never took flight no matter what I did. I wonder what they are mimicking, if anything.

Vagabond Crambus Moth - Agriphila vulgivagella

See also:

Eastern Grass-veneer Moth, Crambus laqueatellus
Eastern Grass-veneer Moth, Crambus laqueatellus

 

Custom Search

 

[Cirrus Home]    [Butterflies]    [Bugs]    [Beetles]    [Mantids]    [Spiders]    [Bees & Wasps]    [Dragon & Damselflies]    [Moths]   [Wildflowers]
[Fungi & Mushrooms]    [Flies]   [Butterflies of the World]  [Trees of North America]  [Cicadas & Grasshoppers]   [Ticks & Mites] 
© Red Planet Inc.