Wildlife Wednesday — Police Car Moth

By Andy Ames

The last full week of July marks National Moth Week. Most moths are nocturnal. We often see them fluttering around lights at night. (Many moths use far off light source such as the moon to orient flight at night. When a moth encounters a close light source such as a porch light they can become confused and fly erratically). Members of the tiger moth family are diurnal, however, and can be seen feeding during the day. These moths can fly about during the day with little worry due to chemical defenses gained from host plants. Both caterpillars and adults feature striking colors and patterns to warn potential predators of their toxicity. Tiger moth caterpillars are fuzzy with barbs (think wooly bears) that can deliver stinging toxins. Adults also feature another unique defense mechanism - the tymbal organ. This is a structure on the thorax (the part of the body just below the head) that can make an ultrasonic click that can warn bats of its toxicity or even jam the bat’s radar!

This morning I was able to observe a member of the tiger moth family, a pair of Police Car moths. So confident in their defenses they allowed me to photograph from inches away.

The Police car moth is identified by the striking black and white pattern on its wings.

Moths can be differentiated from butterflies by their antennae. Moth’s antennae are feathered, as can be seen here, while butterflies’ are smooth and tipped with a ball or club.

Tongues curled up, neither of the moths I saw this morning were feeding.