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Digital Guide to Moth Identification


Archived Photos of Living Moths

Please see the page on submitting photos (link above at right). Photos that are identified here are retained for later use on pages like this one and on individual species pages. For photos to be usable here they must be capable of cropping and reduction to fit a square 225 x 225 pixels in size. A different size (300 x 225) will be used for some species that normally pose with the wings fully spread.

Photos are preferred of moths oriented head upward rather than at an angle. Normally, four photos, each by a different photographer, will be the limit per species. Exceptions might be made for species where there are many morphs, forms and aberrations. Better photos will replace those not as capable of helping to identify the species. There is no guarantee that a photo, once in the archive, will be retained permanently.


  02: Pre-Tortricid Micros -- 0435-0917
  0437 -- Bagworm Moth -- Psyche casta
© Dave Pelletier © John Himmelman
 
[m.] - © John Himmelman
  0441 -- Nigrita Bagworm Moth -- Cryptothelia nigrita
© Machele White
 
© Jeff Hollenbeck
 
© Robert Patterson
 
  0454 -- Abbot's Bagworm Moth -- Oiketicus abbotii
© Jeff Hollenbeck
 
© Jeff Hollenbeck © Jeff Hollenbeck © Machele White
 
  0457 -- Evergreen Bagworm Moth -- Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis

The cutaway view of the bagworm in the larval case may represent a different species. The case appears to be made of non-conifer material. The typical larval case at right has extending from it the remains of a male pupal case (exuvium), split to allow the male to emerge. Females never leave the larval case. When they pupate into an adult they release pheromones that attract male to the case. Insemination takes place through an opening in the case, the male never seeing the female. The female then lays her eggs within the case and dies. The hatchling young leave the case, find a conifer (the cases often are on wall and other objects) and continue to repeat the life cycle.

© Troy Bartlett
 
[m.] - © Robert Patterson
 
© Charles S. Lewallen
 
© Charles S. Lewallen
 
  0462 -- Philonome clemensella
© Arlene Ripley
 
© Arlene Ripley
 
  0479 -- Laburnum Leaf Miner - Leucoptera laburnella
© Ian Kimber - UKmoths 254
 
  0572 -- Oak Skeletonizer Moth -- Bucculatrix ainsliella
© Anthony W. Thomas
 
© Anthony W. Thomas
  0582.99 -- Unidentified Bucculatrix Moths -- Bucculatrix sp.
© Arlene Ripley
 
  0583.99 -- Caloptilia Moths -- Caloptilia sp. -- [unidentified or tentative]
© Dean Edwards
[T] - 0620 - Caloptilia packardella
 
© Richard Leung
0644 - Caloptilia violacella
© Robert Patterson © Dave Beadle
 
© Dave Beadle © John Himmelman
 
© Nolie Schneider
 
© Claude Pilon
 
  0592 -- Azalea Leaf Miner - Caloptilia azaleella
© Ben Smart - UKmoths 285
 
© Arlene Ripley
 
on Azalea - © Richard Leung no costal dots but on Azalea - © Richard Leung
  0594 -- Belfrageela Leaf Miner - Caloptilia belfrageela [tentative]
© Dave Beadle © Richard Leung

  0596 -- Blandella Leaf Miner - Caloptilia blandella
© Dean Edwards
 
© Dave Beadle © Machele White
 
© Machele White
 
  0633 -- Sassafras Caloptilia Moth -- Caloptilia sassafrasella
© Arlene Ripley
 
  0639 -- Leaf Miner - Caloptilia stigmatella
© Ian Kimber - UKmoths 288
 
© Cheryl Moorehead
 
  0645 -- Leaf Miner - Caloptilia syringella
© Ian Kimber - UKmoths 293
 
  0663 -- Neurobathra strigifinitella
© Arlene Ripley
 
  0697.99 -- Acrocercops sp.
© Cheryl Moorehead [T]
 
  0708 -- Marmara fasciella
© Arlene Ripley
 
  0708.98 -- Unidentified Marmara Moths -- Marmara sp.
© Arlene Ripley
 
  0718.99 -- Other Gracillariidae Species -- Gracillariidae sp.

Some moths cannot be identified in photographs below the level of genus.

© Jay Cossey
 
© Arlene Ripley
 
  0738 -- Phyllonorycter basistrigella
© Arlene Ripley
 
  0790 -- Phyllonorycter robiniella
© Arlene Ripley
 
  0800 -- Phyllonorycter Moth -- Phyllonorycter tritaenianella
© Ilona Loser
 
  0802.98 -- Phyllonorycter Moth -- Phyllonorycter apparella
© Tom Murray
 
© Tom Murray
 
© Tom Murray
 
  0802.99 -- Unidentified Phyllonorycter Moths -- Phyllonorycter spp.
© Lynette Schimming
 
© Naomi Smith
 
© Naomi Smith
 
  0835 -- Cameraria quercivorella
© Arlene Ripley
 
  0841.99 -- Unassigned Cameraria Moths -- Cameraria sp.
© Arlene Ripley
 
© Arlene Ripley
 
© Hugh McGuinness
 
  0854.99 -- Unassigned Phyllocnistis Moths -- Phyllocnistis spp.
© Tom Murray
 
© Tom Murray
 
© Arlene Ripley
 
  0857 -- Agonopterix Moth -- Agonopterix lythrella
© Steve Walter
 
  0859 -- Curved-line Agonopterix Moth -- Agonopterix curvilineela
© D. Lynn Scott
 
© Robert Patterson
  0864 -- Agonopterix Moth -- Agonopterix atrodorsella
© D. Lynn Scott
 
© Tom Murray
  0867 -- Agonopterix Moth -- Agonopterix pulvipennella
© Robert Patterson
 
© Robert Patterson © Robert Patterson © D. Lynn Scott
  0869 -- Walsingham's Agonopterix Moth -- Agonopterix walsinghamella
© Steve Walter
 
  0874.1 -- Poison Hemlock Moth -- Agonopterix alstromeriana
© Tom Murray
 
© Ian Kimber - UKmoths 695 © Cheryl Moorehead
 
© David Terwilliger
 
  0877 -- Agonopterix Moth -- Agonopterix ciliella
© Ian Smith - UKmoths 689
 
  0878 -- Canadian Agonopterix Moth -- Agonopterix canadensis
© John Lee
 
  0879 -- Agonopterix Moth -- Agonopterix arnicella [T]
© John Davis
 
  0882 -- Four-dotted Agonopterix Moth -- Agonopterix robiniella
© Robert Patterson
 
© Robert Patterson © Nolie Schneider
 
  0884 -- Thelma's Agonopterix Moth -- Agonopterix thelmae
© Robert Patterson
 
© Robert Patterson © Chris French
  0889 -- Agonopterix Moth -- Agonopterix argillacea
© D. Lynn Scott
 
© Anthony W. Thomas


The moths in the second row might represent two different species. The white spots and density of brown shading can come and go with light and camera angle. There are several species of Agonopterix that share some or all of these characters (see A. ciliella above, for example).

© Joanne Shuman
© Nolie Schneider
 
© Nolie Schneider © Nolie Schneider © Robert Patterson
  0895 -- Gorse Tip Moth -- Agonopterix nervosa
© Donald Hobern - UKmoths 706
 
© John Davis
 
  0898.99 -- Agonopterix sp.
© John Davis
 
  0911 -- Bog Bibarrambla Moth -- Bibarrambla allenella
© Larry Line
 
© D. Lynn Scott
  0912 -- Semioscopis Moth -- Semioscopis packardella
© D. Lynn Scott
 
© Robin McLeod [T] - © Tom Murray
  0913 -- Semioscopis Moth -- Semioscopis merriccella
© Larry Line
 
© D. Lynn Scott © David Silsbee © John Davis
 
  0914 -- Semioscopis Moth -- Semioscopis inornata
© Anthony W. Thomas
 
© Nolie Schneider
 
© Janice Stiefel
 
© Tom Murray
  0915 -- Semioscopis Moth -- Semioscopis megamicrella
© D. Lynn Scott
 
© Robin McLeod © Dave Pelletier
  0916 -- Semioscopis Moth -- Semioscopis aurorella
[f.] - © Anthony W. Thomas
 
© D. Lynn Scott © Larry Line © Lynette Schimming




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Files/Live/Living02.shtml -- 04/12/2007