Those are the names of two lepidopterans — moths in this case. One of them sat for a few hours on the glass of our sliding deck doors earlier this month. I took photos.
If it's Spilosoma lubricipeda, it's commonly known as l'écaille de la menthe in French. Spilosoma evidently means "body with spots." Lubricipeda means "slippery feet" and describes the feet of the fast-crawling caterpillar, not the adult moth. This one was doing a pretty good job of clinging onto a slick plate of glass.
From what I've read, Spilosoma lubricipeda caterpillars can also feed on ortie (stinging nettle) leaves and the leaves of several other plants, including dandelions and broom. Another name I found for the moth is l'écaille tigrée — but don't tigers have stripes?
And then again, it might be a female Diaphora mendica, called l'écaille mendiante in French. The male of this species is brown, while the female is white.
I don't pretend to be an expert, so take what I say with a grain of salt. I just take pictures. You can look the two moths up on Wikipedia in English or in French.
I'd go with Muslin moth Diaphora mendica. The reference to 'tigre' is because these moths are part of a subfamily Arctiinae, often referred to as tiger moths.
ReplyDeleteThat's what I had decided after looking a several web sites. The Diaphora mendica is not at all rare, I guess, but I don't think I'd ever seen one before.
DeleteCurrently, the main "bat food" at the moth trap is the Muslin... but not the females! They don't seem to be attracted to the low energy UV bulbs in my trap. This is to your door/window... what bulbs light your room, please... I might need to add an additional light source. There are so many males attracted, it is obvious that there are plenty of females!!
DeleteI'm not sure what attracted this white moth. There is a lamp with an LED bulb in it, probably the equivalent of a 40W incandescent bulb. That light is not on overnight.
DeleteWow, your camera is great -- excellent photos. Wild-looking moth.
ReplyDeleteJudy
What great photos! Moths never looked so good :)
ReplyDeleteI have no idea what kind they are but they look good !
Hello,
ReplyDeletethanks to my favorite Guide (which is an english guide : Field Guide to the Moths of Great Britain and Ireland) and my little experience, I'd go with mendica (female) too. The general habitus (rounder than lubricipeda) and the (lack of certain) dots seem to be two good criterias.
I hope that moth isn't as big as it looks in the pictures. It seems to be the size of a Piper Cub.
ReplyDeleteThat's an illusion. The moth's body was no more than an inch in length.
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