carpenterworm moth

not listed

NNR - Unranked

not listed

Carpenterworm moth, also called Robin’s carpenterworm, is a medium-sized moth but a very large micromoth. It is similar in size and appearance to a sphinx moth and is often misidentified as one. Adults are 11 ⁄16″ to 1¾″ long with a wingspan of 17 ⁄16″ to 3⅜″. The female is much larger than the male.

The body is heavy. The abdomen extends well beyond the hindwings.

The forewings on the female are more or less triangular and rounded at the tip. They are pale gray and semi-translucent with a dense, net-like overlay of thin, dark lines and, in the basal and median areas, wider lines that fill in the blank areas creating dark blotches. They have an accessory cell and 2 anal veins that are complete, extending from the base to the margin. Some of the veins branching off of the “R” vein are stalked. The forewings of the male are similar but narrower and more pointed at the tip. The hindwings of the female are as wide as the forewings but much shorter. They are similar in color to the forewings but with a less distinct overlay of thin lines and no wider lines. They have 3 anal veins. The hindwings of the male are similar in shape, black from the base to the median area, bright yellowish-orange from the median area to the submarginal area, and bordered with a thin black marginal line. The hindwings and forewings are held in contact by bristles (a frenulum) and scales (a retinaculum).

The head is gray. There are no mouth parts and no hearing organs. The antennae on the male are feathery, with extensions along both sides of the central axis (bipectinate). On the female the antennae are thread-like.

The legs are black with white bands. There is a large spine (spur) at the tip of the fourth leg segment (tibia).

The caterpillar is 2″ to 2¾″ long. It may be greenish-white with a dark brown head and thoracic shield, or pinkish with scattered dark spots and a reddish-brown head and thoracic shield.

Wingspan: 17 ⁄16″ to 3⅜″

Total length: 11 ⁄16″ to 1¾″

Deciduous and mixed forests, hardwood shelterbelts.

May through July

Adults are attracted to light.

The female lays eggs singly or in groups in the crevices of the bark of a host tree. After hatching, the caterpillars feed by boring into the cambium layer of the tree. This creates galleries and tunnels under the outer bark that decrease the value of the wood and can sometimes kill the tree. Wood has little nutritional value. As a result, the caterpillar takes 3 or 4 years to complete its life cycle. It pupates in the spring of its final year and emerges as an adult between May and July.

Ash, black locust, oak, poplar, and willow

Adults do not feed

Sources

4, 21, 24, 29, 30, 75, 82.

Widespread but uncommon

flew in our door and i hit it under some paper towels a few times but it did not die! i picked up the paper towel and it was still alive amd i threw it outside Very big and it had something that looked like a tongue coming out the back end like a finger and was buzzing strong before it took off like a plane it was huge!

Location: 61 Queen Road, Mastic Beach, NY 11951

flew in our door and i hit it under some paper towels a few times but it did not die! i picked up the paper towel and it was still alive amd i threw it outside Very big and it had something that looked like a tongue coming out the back end like a finger and was buzzing strong before it took off like a plane it was huge!

Location: Pennington Co

… the wings are blurred [on] the back end. It is vibrating it's muscle and getting ready for take off.