Explanation of Names
Ghost Moth - to attract females, the male hovers over open ground, sometimes slowly rising and falling [like a ghost] (
wikipedia.org)
Swift Moth - adults are rapid fliers
Numbers
20 North American species in 4 genera listed at
nearctica.com, plus another species (
Korscheltellus lupulina) currently restricted to southern Ontario
about 500 species in 80 genera worldwide (
Hepialidae of Australia)
Size
wingspan varies greatly among species, from 20 mm to 200 mm (in Australian species)
Identification
mouthparts lacking in adults; wings long and narrow; body long; antennae short
Range
most of North America
also represented throughout most of the world except Madagascar and central-west Africa
Habitat
most larvae live in the soil
adults may be attracted to artificial light
Season
adults fly in May and June
larvae from June to frost
Food
early instar larvae feed on plant detritus, decaying wood, or fungi; later instars bore into roots or stems of woody plants, or feed on moss, and the leaves of grasses and other herbaceous plants
adults cannot feed because they lack mouthparts
Life Cycle
one generation per year; overwinters as a larva; pupates in April & May; adults emerge in late spring and eggs are laid in flight in very large numbers (sometimes more than 10,000)
Remarks
considered a "primitive" moth because the adult lacks mouthparts
Internet References
pinned adult images of 4 North American species in 2 genera (Canadian Forest Service)
Systematica and Evolution (John Grehan, Buffalo Museum of Science)
