#vibrating moth

Another night, another sphinx. Vine Sphinx Moth.

This fat girl is lovely. She is a Halysidota sp. Tiger moth. These moths are rare at my house, so I was happy to have a visit from her!

Their common names include the word “tussock moth” (examples are Sycamore Tussock Moth, and Banded Tussock Moth) even though they are not tussock moths, because their caterpillars have the little tufts of fur (they are mimics!):

Notice the above caterpillar is poofy with a couple little tufts at the end? Actual tussock moths (which can sting you!) look like this:

Above: Unidentified Tussock moth caterpillar from Malawi

Left: Definite Tussock Moth from Village Creek State Park, near Beaumont, TX Right: Southern Tussock Moth from my yard near Austin, TX

These caterpillar are not as all-around poofy, and they also have four tufts on their back near their head (easier to see in the Malawian and Definite caterpillars. The Texan caterpillars are younger, so they don’t have their tufts out on display in full glory like the mature Malawian caterpillar does, but that’s the look our Halysidota baby is going for.