Crimson-speckled
The crimson-speckled is a pretty white moth covered in little black dots and bright red spots. It looks a bit like a sprinkled cake. It flies both in the day and at night.
How big is it?
How wide are its wings?
How big is Crimson-speckled compared to YOU?
Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.
How fast is it?
Fun facts
Its caterpillars take poisons from their food plants, so the moths are poisonous to birds too.
The bright red and black spots are a warning that says: I taste bad.
In warm tropical places it can breed all year round.
It flies to lights at night.
In Britain it is a rare visitor that sometimes arrives from the south.
Most asked questions about Crimson-speckled
?Is the crimson-speckled moth poisonous?
It is poisonous to birds that try to eat it, but it is harmless to people.
?What does the crimson-speckled eat?
Its caterpillars eat low plants like forget-me-nots and plantain.
?How big is the crimson-speckled?
Its wings are about 3 to 4 centimetres across.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Utetheisa pulchella
- Named by
- Linnaeus, 1758
- Group
- Moths
- Family
- Erebidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Lepidoptera > Erebidae
- Lives on
- Europe, Africa, Asia
Where the facts come from
- Utetheisa pulchella (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by I.muz7. CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. The round sticker of this bug is cut from the same picture.
If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
Atlas moth
Luna moth
Hummingbird hawk-moth
Domestic silk moth
Isabella tiger moth
Polyphemus moth
White peacock
Green-veined white
Spotless ladybird
Bordered mantis
Robust cicada
Nosy pill woodlouse