Yellow-Collared Scape Moth

Fascinating facts about the Yellow-Collared Scape Moth

• The yellow-collared scape moth belongs to the family Erebidae and subfamily Arctiinae, placing it among the tiger-moth relatives. Its wingspan measures between one and one-and-a-half inches (25-38 mm).
• Adults are on the wing in late spring and summer in fields and forest edges. Their range stretches from Canada south through the United States to Texas and Florida, and the species is widespread, including the southeastern United States where the Virginia ctenucha is absent.
• The caterpillar of the yellow-collared scape moth displays a striking pattern of dark stripes that run along its back and sides, each stripe flanked by bright yellow or orange bands. Its overall colour can vary widely, appearing yellow, brown or black depending on the individual. Covering its body are sparse, long, soft pale hairs that give it a fuzzy appearance.
• The species was first formally recorded by Jacob Hübner in the year 1818, establishing its scientific name at that time. This early 19th-century description links the moth's current taxonomic label, Cisseps fulvicollis, to its original authority. As a result, any reference to the species today carries the historic citation of Hübner's work, anchoring its nomenclature in that foundational year.

Sources

Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.

• Wikipedia

At a glance

About the Yellow-Collared Scape Moth

In the warm, golden light of sunset, the Yellow-Collared Scape Moth emerges, its delicate wings beating in a hypnotic rhythm as it dances through the grasslands, a whirling dervish of yellow and black. With an ethereal elegance, it flits from flower to flower, sipping nectar with a long, tube-like proboscis, its bright yellow collar glowing like a tiny sun against the darker hues of its body. As it moves, its wings create a soft blur, a mesmerizing display of color and movement that is at once both fleeting and unforgettable.

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