Carnegie Museum of Natural History

One of the Four Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh

moths

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Greater Black-letter Dart Moth

moth face on

by Vanessa Verdecia 

Our Section of Invertebrate Zoology had another species of moths eclose this month. These images show the last instar caterpillar, the pupa, and two images of the adult.  We reared these caterpillars that hatched from eggs laid by a female moth caught in Ohio, but this species also occurs here in Pennsylvania.

Common name: Greater Black-letter Dart Moth
Scientific name: Xestia dolosa, in the family Noctuidae

moth top down

Vanessa Verdecia is a collection assistant in the museum’s Invertebrate Zoology Section. Museum employees are encouraged to blog about their unique experiences and knowledge gained from working at the museum.