Moths of Chautauqua County

Pachysphinx modesta

Pachysphinx modesta, the Poplar Sphinx or Modest Sphinx ranges through southern portions of all Canadian provinces and is found in the eastern half of the U.S. from Maine to northern Florida. James P. Tuttle has range maps showing it as far west as eastern Washington southward to extreme northeastern New Mexico. Most of the western specimens appear to be P. occidentalis.

-Bill Oehlke


Family: Sphingidae, Latreille, 1802
Subfamily: Sphinginae, Latreille, 1802
Tribe: Smerinthini, Grote & Robinson, 1865
Genus: Pachysphinx Rothschild and Jordan, 1903
Species: modesta (Harris, 1839)


Big Poplar Sphynx or Modest Sphinx. A large sphinx moth that belongs to the family Sphingidae and has a wingspan of 10-12 cm. Larvae feed on poplar and willow trees. Adults are active at night. These moths are among the fastest fliers of all moths. Found across North America.

Tiger Moth in Stedman tonight

Description The Virgin Tiger Moth is a member of the family Arctiidae. The tiger moths are small or medium-sized, with stout, furry bodies and broad wings, spanning 1/2-3 1/8" (12-80 mm). Some are largely white; others are boldly patterned in black and white or yellow; and still others have different colors. Tiger moths are similar in size and shape to owlet moths, but are usually lighter and more brightly colored. They resemble some boldly patterned ctenuchids, but can be distinguished from these and other similar-looking moths mostly through differences in wing venation. They also have a well-developed hearing organ, or tympanum, on each side of the thorax. Many tiger moths contain toxic substances, and their conspicuous patterning serves as a warning to predators. Adults generally do not feed. Eggs are laid in flat masses or loosely scattered over low vegetation. The caterpillars are hairy or bristly and like the adults are boldly marked and toxic. They pupate in loose cocoons made of silk and their own hair.


"Tiger Moth"
Family: Arctiidae
Grammia virgo


http://mothphotographersgroup.msstate.edu/Files/JV/JV42.5.shtml

Little Brown Bats in Stedman

Myotis lucifugus has brownish-black fur that has a glossy sheen to it and a belly that is grey-brown. The bat’s feet are mainly for clinging while it roosts. The wings of a bat are superbly constructed and include four fingers and a thumb. At the end of the thumb is a hooked claw, which serves to help the bat climb and crawl along surfaces.

Little brown bats are insectivores, eating moths, wasps, beetles, gnats, mosquitoes, midges and mayflies, among others. Since many of their preferred meals are insects with an aquatic life stage, such as mosquitoes, they prefer to roost near water. They echolocate to find their prey. Often they will catch larger prey with a wingtip, transfer it to a cup formed by their tail, then eat it - smaller prey are usually just caught in the mouth. They often use the same routes over and over again every night, flying 3-6 meters high above water or among trees. An adult can sometimes fill its stomach in 15 minutes; young have more difficulty. If they do not catch any food, they will enter a torpor similar to hibernation that day, awakening at night to hunt again.