Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar

TaxonomyBrowseInfoImagesLinksBooksData
Photo#342428
both a moth and a caterpillar - Hemileuca maia

both a moth and a caterpillar - Hemileuca maia
Tar Hallow State Park, Ohio, USA
October 10, 2009
Size: 1.2 inches (maybe)
When my husband and I saw this walking on the ground, my husband was convinced that we were looking at two organisms: a winged insect which had killed a caterpillar and was dragging off its kill. However to me this looked like a single moth-like insect whose abdomen happened to resemble a caterpillar.

Images of this individual: tag all
both a moth and a caterpillar - Hemileuca maia both a moth and a caterpillar - Hemileuca maia

Moved
Moved from Hemileuca.

Moved
Moved from New England Buck Moth. I'll leave it to others to place to species now. I was only clearing ID request.

Incorrect placement
Hemileuca lucina is not found in Ohio, only H. nevadensis and H. maia. This looks like H. maia, and this one is too far south of the H. nevedansis Great Lakes Complex poplutation.

This would be H. maia.

Moved
Moved from ID Request.

Looks to us like a brand new Buck Moth
that is crawling to find a place to climb so its wings can unfurl completely. See

 
yep
I agree

 
Thanks!
I hadn't realized that the wings weren't fully developed. I don't know how I would have ever identified this one without your help. Thanks!

Comment viewing options
Select your preferred way to display the comments and click 'Save settings' to activate your changes.