The Princely Tiger Moth: this moth has colorful, iridescent features that may help to deter predators
Chrysocale principalis, commonly known as the princely tiger moth, is a day-flying species with a shimmering, almost rainbow-like appearance.
Its wings and abdomen are covered with iridescent scales that can produce a broad range of colors, including shades of pink, blue, purple, green, and gold. The effect is truly stunning.
The moth's colorful appearance is likely aposematic, which means that it deters predators by signalling that the moth itself is toxic or unpalatable.
Many tiger moths (subfamily Arctiinae) feed on plants that contain noxious compounds, and then they store those compounds within their own bodies as a defense mechanism. The moth's toxicity/unpalatability is often advertised with colorful markings, as this article explains:
Aposematic organisms gain protection from predators by displaying colourful warning signals, which are coupled with some form of unprofitability. This unprofitability is frequently related to the possession of chemical defences that can be unpalatable or even toxic. Predators learn to associate the warning signal with a bad experience when tasting the prey, and remember it in subsequent encounters, leading to an aversive behaviour towards that particular prey.
The princely tiger moth can be found in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and southern Texas.
Note: this is a rewritten version of a post that I published almost two years ago, with more information, sources, and photos
The Lives of Moths: Predators and Defenses
Texas Entomology: The Princely Tiger Moth
The Royal Society Publishing: How to Fight Multiple Enemies: Target-Specific Chemical Defences in an Aposematic Moth
The Macrolepidoptera of the World: Chrysocale principalis
iNaturalist: Chrysocale principalis
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