Inverted Y Slug Moth - Apoda y-inversum

TL: ~12 mm. Pale orange/tan FW with brown median and ST lines that converge towards the costa. Two lines form an X-shape near anal angle. Hosts: Beech, hickory, ironwood, and oak.

Habitat: Attracted to a 385 nm LED light in a semi-rural area

comments (4)

Ferdy Christant

Lion

Epic! Do you know why they have such curved abdomens? Posted 6 years ago
1. Christine Young
  
  Lion
  
  They rest in this position, but when not at rest, they look like normal moths. In this photo, the moth is upside down and is kind of doing a headstand. I'm not sure why they rest like this - maybe an adaptation to fool predators into thinking they are something other than a moth? Posted 6 years ago
2. 1. Ferdy Christant
    
    Lion
    
    I imagine that to be the case, just wondering what it is trying to mimic? Posted 6 years ago
  2. 1. Christine Young
      
      Lion
      
      I don't know - a leaf, a dead insect, an insane moth. Or, maybe this position is just disorienting and confuses a predator so that it doesn't recognize it as a moth? Posted 6 years ago

The Yellow-collared Slug Moth

"Apoda y-inversum", the inverted Y slug moth or yellow-collared slug moth, is a moth of the family Limacodidae. It is found in North America from Quebec and Ontario, south to Florida, west to Oklahoma and Mississippi.

Info 3 0

Similar species: Moths And Butterflies

Species identified by Christine Young