My friend and I were leaving her house in south Florida a few weeks ago when she stopped me to point out this striking moth, as she knew I would definitely want to check it out. Obviously enamored, I did some research and learned so much about this beautiful insect, called the Scarlet Bodied Wasp Moth (Cosmosoma myrodora). Apparently adult males of this species have adapted an insanely badass way of looking out for their mates. On the day when a Scarlet Bodied Wasp Moth chooses to mate, he will find a Dogfennel plant (Eupatorium capillifolium) and use his probiscus to collect pyrrolizidine alkaloids. The intrepid moth will then retain these poisonous toxins until the occasion of his coupling with another of his species. Upon copulation, the male showers the female in a cloud of the toxins, effectively forming a safety bubble to protect the pair from predatory species like the Golden Orb Web spider. Not only is the female inoculated with these defensive compounds, so too are her developing eggs! This process is essential to reducing predation, and eggs that do not receive the pyrrolizidine alkaloids are far more vulnerable. The Scarlet Bodied Wasp Moth is the only known insect to transfer a chemical defense in this way! What a cool moth!
