Rattlesnake-master Borer Moth
Rattlesnake-master Borer Moth
Seasonal Restriction Dates:
- N/A
Restriction Notes:
- N/A
Photo Credit: USFWS
Short Description from U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service:
The Rattlesnake-master Borer Moth (Papaipema eryngii) is purple-brown with small, scattered yellow and white spots (Bird 1917, p. 125). Flight-worn moths appear lighter in color after darker scales have fallen away after a few nights of flying and crawling through vegetation, although the large white spots typically remain distinctive. Males have distinctive genitalia that allow distinction from other Papaipema (Wiker 2017a, p. 13; Forbes 1954, p. 193; Bird 1917, p. 126). Rattlesnake-master borer moth larvae appear similar to other Papaipema larvae, but retain longitudinal white and purplish-striped markings until the last instar, when the purple fades and the larvae become mostly dull yellowish-white with scattered, raised, dark-brown spots.
Natural Habitat:
Native prairie, grassland, and savanna remnants with rattlesnake- master plants (for larvae).
