Red-Shouldered Ctenucha Moth (Ctenucha rubroscapus)
Detailing the physical features, habits, territorial reach and other identifying qualities of the Red-Shouldered Ctenucha Moth.
Updated: 8/3/2017; Authored By Staff Writer; Content ©www.InsectIdentification.org
Red-Shouldered Ctenucha Moth
The Red-Shouldered Ctenucha Moth lives on the West Coast where is enjoys life in the sun, and an all-natural diet of flowers and grasses.
Bold colors on the Red-Shouldered Ctenucha Moth mimic that of wasps. This helps in avoiding predators. The blue-black body offsets the bright orange-red hairs on the thorax ('shoulders') and head. The black wings are tipped with a thin line of white at the bottom edges. This species of moth is only found in the low-elevations of the western U.S.. Adults feed on flowers, but the caterpillars feed on grasses. The caterpillar is black with bits of white and a brown-ish head and rear. Tufts of light gray hairs cover the body and when it prepares to pupate, it encases itself in a 'cage' of hairs.
Seen during the day, this species is active from the beginning of summer to the beginning of autumn. Look for them in the coastal grasses and adjacent meadows and marshes.
