Wednesday, July 2, 2014

I Guess It's Curtains for Us.

The Black Witch,,,
 in our kitchen, on our spice rack.
 It's just like living in a movie around here.


(copied from Wikipedia)The noctuid moth Ascalapha odorata bears the common name Black Witch. It is considered a harbinger of death in Mexican and Caribbean folklore. In Spanish it is known as "Mariposa de la muerte" (Mexico & Costa Rica),[1] "Pirpinto de la Yeta" (Argentina), "Tara Bruja" (Venezuela) or simply "Mariposa negra" (Colombia); in Nahuatl (Mexico) it is "Miquipapalotl" or "Tepanpapalotl" (miqui = death, black + papalotl = moth); in Quechua (Peru) it is "Taparaco"; in Mayan (Yucatán) it is "X-mahan-nah" (mahan = to borrow + nah = house);[2] in Jamaica and the Caribbean, the moth is known as the "Duppy Bat" or "Money moth".[3] Other names for the moth include the Papillion-devil, La Sorcière Noire, or the Mourning or Sorrow moth.
Larva

Ascalapha odorata is a large bat-shaped, dark-colored nocturnal moth. Males can attain a wingspan of 16 cm. The dorsal surfaces of their wings are mottled brown with hints of iridescent purple and pink, and, in females, crossed by a white bar. [Males lack this bar.] The diagnostic marking is a small spot on each forewing shaped like a number nine or a comma. This spot is often green with orange highlights. Females are somewhat smaller, reaching 12 cm in width, and lighter in color. The larva is a large caterpillar up to 7 cm in length with intricate patterns of black and greenish brown spots and stripes.

The black witch moth is found throughout Central America and Mexico, with its distribution extending from Brazil to the southern United States.[4] It is the largest noctuid found in the continental United States.

No comments:

Post a Comment