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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera) » Silkworm, Sphinx, and Royal Moths (Bombycoidea) » Giant Silkworm and Royal Moths (Saturniidae) » Buck and Io Moths (Hemileucinae) » Hemileucini » Hemileuca » Buck Moth - Hodges#7730 (Hemileuca maia)
Photo#342428
both a moth and a caterpillar - Hemileuca maia
Copyright © 2009 loriquaid

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
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Contributed by loriquaid on 11 October, 2009 - 6:38pm
Last updated 12 October, 2009 - 7:44am

Moved
Moved from Hemileuca.
… john and jane balaban, 12 October, 2009 - 7:44am login or register to post comments

Moved
Moved from New England Buck Moth. I'll leave it to others to place to species now. I was only clearing ID request.
… John F. Carr, 12 October, 2009 - 6:32am login or register to post comments

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.
… Ryan St Laurent, 11 October, 2009 - 9:42pm login or register to post comments

Moved
Moved from ID Request.
… John F. Carr, 11 October, 2009 - 8:51pm login or register to post comments

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
… john and jane balaban, 11 October, 2009 - 6:52pm login or register to post comments

 
yep
I agree
… roar, 11 October, 2009 - 6:57pm login or register to post comments

 
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!
… loriquaid, 11 October, 2009 - 7:29pm login or register to post comments

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