Giant Leopard Moth
Hypercompe scribonia
When threatened, this moth rolls over to expose its iridescent blue and orange abdomen and can emit a buzzing sound by rubbing its wings together, paired with a foul-tasting droplet.
- Scientific name
- Hypercompe scribonia
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Lepidoptera › Erebidae › Hypercompe
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Deciduous forests, woodlands, fields, meadows, and suburban gardens.
- Diet
- Caterpillars feed on a wide variety of broadleaf plants including dandelions, plantains, violets, and cherry leaves. Adults do not feed.
- Range
- North America, United States, Southern Canada, Mexico
- Size
- Wingspan of 5.7 to 7.6 cm (2.25 to 3 inches)
- Lifespan
- 8 to 10 months (mostly as a caterpillar; adults live only 1 to 2 weeks)
- Active
- nocturnal
- Threats
- Light pollution, pesticide use, and habitat fragmentation.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless and defensive. If you find the caterpillar, avoid squeezing it as its stiff black bristles can cause mild skin irritation. The adult moth is completely safe to observe. If disturbed, it may curl up, play dead, and secrete a droplet of acrid yellow fluid from its thorax to deter predators. Simply admire its striking patterns from a close distance and let it fly away.
The giant leopard moth or eyed tiger moth ( Hypercompe scribonia ) is a moth of the family Erebidae. It is distributed throughout the Americas from southern Ontario, and southern and eastern United States through New England, Mexico and down to Panama. The obsolete name Ecpantheria scribonia is still occasionally encountered.
Photo: Nick Tobler (Cowturtle), CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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