Antaeotricha schlaegeri

June 10, 2002

We go from the resplendent Polyphemus to a moth that looks like a piece of bird doodie.  But in the world of moths, few cryptic designs are as admirable as those which resemble something a predator already ate.

The schlaegeris are in a family of moths known as the Oecophoridae.  Note the upturned sensory organs (labial palps) extending past the "forehead".  While this is the one I come across most often, there is another nearly identical Antaeotricha known as A. leucillana.  The latter is about a third smaller.  Also, notice the dark tuft on the thorax.  In leucillana it is usually a paler brown.