moths are cool

special interest in moths so this is my infodump station | i do IDs!! | sideblog is @oinglboingl | credits to Olivier Bouteleux for the avatar and @campesine-moved for the header | sideblog is @oinglboingl

[artifacts-and-arthropods]

Nagodopsis Slug Moths: the caterpillars of this genus have gelatinous bodies that mimic the appearance of bird droppings

Above: Nagodopsis shirakiana as a caterpillar

Caterpillars of the genus Nagodopsis are able to mimic bird feces, thanks to their gelatinous features and the brown-and-white markings that cover their bodies. The surface of the caterpillar's body is also surrounded by a layer of translucent flesh that gives it a glossy, goopy appearance, and its sides have a scalloped texture that enhances that effect.

Above: more caterpillars from the same genus

The peculiar disguise is known as fecal mimicry, and it helps to repel predators -- especially birds.

This genus is part of the Limacodidae family of moths, which are also known as slug moths, because their larvae have a gelatinous, slug-like appearance. Unlike most caterpillars, these larvae do not have prolegs; their legs are actually formed by small suction cups that run along the bottom of the caterpillar's body.

Above: close-ups of Nagodopsis shirakiana

Nagodopsis moths can be found in Taiwan, China, Myanmar, and Malaysia. Chinese sources sometimes refer to Nagodopsis shirakiana as the "bird dung tussock moth" or "Sumu's guano moth."

Above: Nagodopsis shirakiana

As this page describes:

The larvae of Nagodopsis shirakiana are soft and fleshy, with a narrow head and thorax and a wide abdomen. The back of the body is milky white with blackish-brown markings. Its appearance mimics bird droppings, and it exhibits deceptive behavior. It's generally distributed in low-altitude mountainous areas, and the larvae often appear on damp and shady leaf surfaces.

Above: Nagodopsis caterpillars

Unfortunately, little else is known about the moths of this genus, and there are very few sources that actually describe the caterpillars, despite their unique appearance.

Above: Nagodopsis shirakiana

The larvae eventually transform into small, fuzzy moths with a beige or brown coloration. Some species, like Nagodopsis parvimargo, also have transparent streaks on their wings.

Above: the adult forms of Nagodopsis shirakiana and Nagodopsis parvimargo

I wrote a post about another moth that mimics bird feces a couple of years ago. That species, Macrocilix maia, actually develops its disguise during adulthood, and the mimicry is stunningly specific.

There are many different moths that engage in fecal mimicry, but Macrocilix maia and genus Nagodopsis are probably the two most convincing examples I've ever seen.

Sources & More Info:

iNaturalist: Genus Nagodopsis

Moths of Borneo: Nagodopsis Moths

What Insects Do and Why: Fecal Mimicry

Gaga Photos: Description of Nagodopsis shirakiana

Dear Lep: Nagodopsis shirakiana

A Life of Insect Raising: The Identity of the Bird Dung Tussock Moth

[voidbug]

CHASE THE LIGHT

I like to imagine moth fairies really like bright lights in the dark, just like actual moths. Maybe they like the warmth of a light, or maybe it looks really pretty to them? I hope you are all staying cozy this season! Here in Milwaukee we’ve got a lot of snow and it’s so cold out. It’s been perfect weather for bundling up with a game and drinking hot chocolate!

[sweetbunnicreations]

day 18: the burren≽༏≼ #irishmythtober

colouring pencil today! super happy with how this came out!

Calamia tridens, the Burren Green, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The vernacular name Burren Green reflects its presence in the Burren region in western Ireland, its only station on the islands of the North Atlantic. Slide 3 is what it looks like!

[moss-moths-eyes-and-whimsy]

purple :3 i love moths very much i would love to learn abt more ^^

You got a Ascalapha Odorata moth!

also known as a Black Witch moth, these guys are seen as symbols of death in multiple cultures! also, some people believe that they can curse people, and if one flies over your head, your hair will fall out :3

here’s the picture larger for your viewing pleasure

[noxpheron]

Imperial Moth (Eacles imperialis)

[jupiterswasphouse]

Hey :) I recently found a Chrysidid wasp and I thought it was so cool, I was wondering if you could help ID it? I think it might be Chrysis angolensis or Stilbum cyanurum?

Also if you have any tips for IDing wasps and/or hymenoptera I would love to hear!!

Hey howdy! Very cool wasp, I absolutely love the beautiful metallic coloration of cuckoo wasps! Unfortunately, though, if I'm being honest Chrysididae is one of the families I'm the least confident in identifying due to my general unfamiliarity with specific species and the metallic coloration that makes them so strikingly unique in the first place ^^" I couldn't say for certain but perhaps fellow waspaganda poster @addicted2wasps may have a better idea? (Actually, see the reply from cnestus below)

As for tips for identifying wasps or other hymenopterans, first it helps to have a basal recognition of a particular category the individual falls into (which, you clearly do in this case but I say that both to you and to other folks reading this). That could be as wide as a superfamily or as narrow as a genus. At this point I am familiar enough with many classifications that, even if I don't immediately recognize the species, I can recognize many things that I see down to some level of a category. This is partially thanks to the fact that, while many may look similar, there are many nuances to their body shapes that make them recognizable, such as an Ichneumon's extended but somewhat bulbous metasoma, a Sphecid's particular "waist" shape, or even a Pompilid's long antennae. Familiarize yourself with these.

If you don't recognize it as belonging to a specific category, and this is likely the obvious part, research recognizable and distinct traits of it until you feel confident enough to place it into one. Of course, sometimes, if it's distinct enough, you can immediately place it down to a species here. Otherwise, or if you do recognize a category it falls into, you can do two things: make your searches more specific to hopefully narrow it down further, and/or start to look for it on BugGuide, iNaturalist, or even a Wikipedia list of species within that category (but only that last one if it's something you're fairly confident they'll have images of).

While I have made my feelings on recent goings on at iNaturalist known, I would still honestly say that iNaturalist is likely your best friend here, for one reason: Location. There's a reason why many bug IDers prefer to know general locations, and it's because level of precision in the location can be the difference between 5000 possible species across the entire US and 5 species in a specific corner of a specific state. On iNaturalist (if you feel like doing it yourself over submitting to the site for community identification), search for the classification you think it is, narrow down the location to something specific but somewhat broad (like, say, a town, county, or even just the general 300 mile radius). then look at the species that people have observed in that area.

Species can be very tricky, take into consideration everything you can until you're confident that you have your match: Size, the shape of the body and all its parts, marking size and color, number of markings of a specific type and their placements, even wing venation, basically anything that could be distinct about your individual. Survey your options, and compare, with the knowledge in mind that the thing that secures an ID might be a dot on the back of the mesosoma that's present in one species but not the others. Generally you should be able to manage it if you're familiar enough with what you're looking at and looking for. With the disclaimer that many species might have variable features and highly distinct subspecies, notably in genera like Polistes and especially tricky things like Polistes fuscatus, which mimics a multitude of species in its range. You may need to look through multiple variants or subspecies before you can mark off a species for sure

Automatic bug identification applications and systems can be helpful for categorization and even giving you specific species but take anything that you get from them with a grain of salt. iNaturalist's is, again, as of yet still the best one but may occasionally give dubious results. Have a discerning eye, and research the results you receive.

Best of luck at identifying your next find!

[mysticmothworld]

thank you!!!

[jupiterswasphouse]

[VIDEOS AND PHOTOS TAKEN: JULY 9TH, 2025 | Video and Image IDs: A video and five photos of a shiny green, blue, and black cuckoo wasp on a greyish brown wooden board, crawling around and taking some time to clean its leg before it flies away in the video /End IDs.]

A beautiful little baby and the largest cuckoo wasp I've seen! Still a small thing, compared to other wasps, though!

[ketrinadrawsalot]

This only scratches the surface of how weird slug caterpillars (Limacodidae) are

[bugtoucher420]

I found a beautiful wood nymph for the first time EVER this year and he was so delightful it literally made my whole week

[jupiterswasphouse]

[PHOTOS TAKEN: MAY 29TH, 2025 | Image IDs: Two photos of a yellow, black, white, and brown tussock moth caterpillar on the inner side of a grey bucket /End IDs.]

The silly guy, the wacky thang, the forbidden toothbrush

[lupineshieldmaiden]

lasiocampidae pngs✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡˚

send requests .ᐟ.ᐟ જ⁀➴ ✉

[naturalist-journal]

[pelagodes]

silver spotted tiger moths! so stylish

[addilum]

cool moth i found covered in cordyceps fungus in the woods 😲

learning how to use tumblr.. 😓

[naturalist-journal]

[mysticmothworld]

I'm on a trip to Japan, and have been taking pictures of all the moths I've spotted so far (there were a ton hanging out at this one temple) would you be able to id some of these lovelies? (Esp the first one. Thinking of getting a tattoo of it while I'm here)

Hey!! So from top to bottom, the moths are: Arichanna gaschkevitchii, Paradarisa chloauges, Carige scutilimbata, Scopula ignobilis, Melanaema venata, Euproctis piperita, Melanaema venata, Siccia altaica, anddd the last two I'm not sure about, although the almost uniformly brown one is probably a geometrid moth and the mottled one is a pug moth or carpet moth

P.S. take my ids of Paradarisa and Scopula with a pinch of salt as there are many similar-looking species of these types of moths (Boarmiini and Sterrhinae, respectively).

Thanks for the ask :>

[cafnicthc]

Lunchtime