Chrysopilus thoracicus
It is 8 to 15 millimeters
It has gold thorax, white chevrons on the abdomen, and smoky, patterned wings
It has highly reflective golden hairs covering the top of the thorax
Its most distinctive feature is the patch of brilliant gold hair positioned on the upper thorax.
They can be found in low vegetation in deciduous woodlands
Golden-backed Snipe flies are predators on aphids and other small insects.
They are diurnal.
Males will generally have larger, more pronounced eyes than females.
Contributed by Jason Podbielski, PVHS Zoology 2022
~ Adult Luna Moth ~
~ Luna Moth Caterpillar ~
~ Adult Luna Moth ~
Scientific name: Actias luna
Its around 8–11.5 cm but can grow up to 17.78 cm
The luna moth has green wings with eye spots on all of its wings
Each eyespot can have arcs of black, blue, red, yellow, green or white and the eyespots are thought to confuse potential predators
One of its distinctive features are its long back wings that they move to confuse any predators.
Luna Moths are mainly found in North American forests but have been found in the southern United States
The adult Luna moth doesn't eat anything, when they emerge from there cocoon, they don't have a mouth or digestive system
The Luna Moth Larva does eat, they eat leaves from walnut, hickory, sweet gum, and paper birch trees
Luna Moths are nocturnal
The Luna Moth predators are owls, bats, bald-face hornets, parasitic wasps, and fiery searcher ground beetles, spiders, toads
One of the Luna Moths defenses are twirling their wing tips to confuse predators and the Luna Moth Caterpillar will rear up its front and make a loud clicking noise
Contributed by Ruthie Engle, PVHS Zoology 2022
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus)